Showing posts with label bb cream. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bb cream. Show all posts

Friday, February 7, 2014

[REVIEW] Etude House Precious Minerals BB Cream Bright Fit

Hello everyone!

As you have read on my previous post, I just marked my official return on the blogosphere, as well as a few of the reasons why I was absent for quite some time. And now that I'm back, let's start with a few of the overdue posts -- those that I'm planning to write here in this blog, but was not able to do so because of so many things that caused my absence.

And we begin with a makeup post. It's been quite a while since I made one, and how I miss it...

So in here we have the Etude House Precious Minerals BB Cream Bright Fit in W15 - Sand Beige.


From Etude House:

"BB Cream formulated with Pearl Powder with an improved adhesive texture to promote moist, radiant looking skin while protecting against UV damage and wrinkles."

Backside of the bottle. I like the "Brightening: OK! Darkening: Zero!" in here.

A little FYI first: I had this with me since September last year, and I took these photos upon unboxing it. So this review will be based on many months of using this product.

This was not the first time that I used a BB cream from Etude House, or any other product from the Korean brand for that matter. I've previously used their Goodbye Pore Ever Primer Stick, and as I've mentioned in my review, I have already used their Dr. Oil Solution BB Lotion.


Like most BB creams, this baby is in a liquid formula which comes in a tube packaging with a pump. While you may not see what's inside the tube as it is opaque, you can 'feel' how much product is left as it becomes skinnier with time. Kinda like toothpaste, but with pump for easier product control.

straight from the pump...

spread out a bit...

blended well...
Consistency is a bit like moisturizer -- thick but not like Dairy Queen ice cream in that it does run a bit when turned upside down. As you can see in the swatches here, it appears opaque as it comes out of the pump and when spread out a bit. But when spread out further, it thins out to a sheer to medium coverage.

Etude House Precious Minerals BB Cream Bright Fit comes in four shades, Sand Beige being the darkest. And it does look dark against my skin, under natural light, when taken from the pump, but then it produces a white cast when spread a bit. Once blended out, it blended to my skin tone but with a bit of white cast still present due to the SPF content of the product.

from pump -- indoor light

from pump -- flash
spread a bit -- indoor light

spread a bit -- flash
blended out -- indoor light

blended out -- flash
Photos above are taken in indoor light and in flash.


Before photo, with Olay Natural White Light Day Cream, and my hair still wet

After photo (smiling mugshot, anyone?! hahaha!)

It improved my skin a lot, like it looked brighter than the before photo. As for the white cast... What white cast? It looked like a light lit from within! Haha! But then it did not significantly cover dark under-eyes (getting home late at night from law school is a bane!) and acne scars (facial alert!) as it only had sheer coverage. Maybe it will cover up a bit more if I put on another layer...

After photo, with CoverGirl AquaSmoothers Compact foundation as concealer and Natasha Beauty Perfect Finish Dual Powder Foundation

But then nothing that a good concealer and powder foundation can fix. Learned that tip from Martha of The Beauty Junkee.

In here is my usual work+school makeup, the simplest that I usually do. But this deserves another post so I'll reserve that for later.

I was not able to take a photo of myself upon getting home, so I'll explain what happened after seven hours. Staying power was good enough with the help of the powder foundation, though it oiled up after four hours, thus the need for blotting sheets and a oil-mattifying balm on the T-zone and other oily areas.

And it lasts me a long time -- I have this product with me for five months now, and it's still 3/4 full even while sharing this with my mother (she also loves this product so much that I might get another bottle for her own use).

Overall, Etude House Precious Minerals BB Cream Bright Fit is a pretty good base makeup for everyday use -- good buildable coverage without the heaviness of foundation, SPF30, that glow effect, a shade suitable for morenas like me, and last you a long time. So much to offer for a 60g tube of BB cream, isn't it? :)

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Jesselle the Makeup Junkie: On Kikay Kit #1



What I like about my kikay kit #1 is that it houses all my essentials, be it makeup or otherwise. Aside from primp-up items, it also contains things like alcohol, perfume, lotion, some medicine, among others.

Now for the pretty stuff:


Face

I have here three different items for the face. On an ordinary day, I use two; on a lazy day I use one; on a very special day I use all of these. But aside from not having much time to fix myself at home, I always determine my 'mood' once I step out of the house; so as I have mentioned in my earlier post, I carry many makeup items in my bag.



I've always been partial to BB creams --  I mean, come on, who does not want an all-in-one product at your disposal, right? But truth be told, I was hesitant at first, because BB creams used to come in only one shade. However, I learned later on that 1) most BB creams blend with any skin tone when applied properly, and 2) it must be applied in five dots (forehead, both cheeks, chin and nose) so that it blends well.

Here above is my current BB cream -- Etude House Shini Star BB Cream. What I like in this one is that 1) it's completely blendable, 2) it's totally compact and 3) it's budget friendly!



This one is actually a foundation but I use this as a concealer. This is CoverGirl Aqua Smoothers Compact Foundation in Soft Honey -- my exact shade that's perfect for covering up pimple marks and blending out dark circles. I like that the formulation is pigment-rich without being too heavy-looking (in short: buildable) and, well, it blends well with my skin tone. However, on days that I need to brighten up my eyes, I put on a concealer in a shade lighter than this one, and I have it on my other kikay kit.



Spoiler: you'll be seeing a lot of Natasha Beauty and Sketches makeup in my kits. You see, my mom is a Natasha dealer, and I grabbed the chance to smuggle get some makeup items from her. Case in point: Sketches Shine-Free Blemish Control Pressed Powder. And this one is one proof that cheap doesn't necessarily mean cheap -- it takes out shine and will take you quite some time before your next touch up. A useful tip: use a powder brush to buff it all over your face (thus the reason for the absence of the requisite powder puff in this compact)

Eyes and Cheeks

I always play safe with my eyes. Probably the most daring that I've done is to a smokey eye using both a black-gray palette and a brown palette, but on separate occasions. For the most part, I use only one or two shades of eyeshadows at a time. When I feel lazy, I only fill out my brows with powder, set it with clear mascara and wiggle some black mascara onto my lashes (lash curling included). And when I feel uber lazy (read: tinatamad) I scrap the whole eye makeup thingy altogether, and I go by with BB cream, powder, clear mascara on my brows, blush and lipstick.

The same goes for my cheeks -- I only go for peach or coral-shaded blushes. Go any further than that, and I'll look like a traditional Korean bride (you know, the one that puts on two red dots on her cheeks?). Exception: cheek tints -- any shade will do for me, so long as I blend it very well and pat on powder afterwards so that it imparts a natural look.




This Natasha Eyeshadow Trio in Beachrush is my go-to eyeshadow set, simply because it is in a shade that matches my skintone. As you can see in the second photo, the middle shade (shimmery beige) has been used up, since I use this shade most of the time -- a few swipes is all I need. The left shade (chocolate brown) is used for a bit of eye contouring and also serves as my pseudo-eyeliner (pseudo because I swipe it on the area near my lash line and it looks like I wore a light eyeliner).



Another Natasha product right here: Natasha Beauty Lash Specialist Mascara. And another cheap-but-not-cheap product here: it uses a rubber wand, the same ones used in some high-end mascaras. That's the thing I love in this mascara, as it allows me to apply it on without much clumping; although on clumsy days when I apply too much of it, I separate my lashes with a clean spoolie.


If I'm asked to put only five makeup items in my kit, this is one of those I'll include: Sketches Clear Mascara. I primarily use this to set my brows in place (thus the reason for the 'browning' of the product -- I apply this one after filling out my brows with brow powder) but I also use this as my lazy-day mascara.

OOT: Mommies, if you wanna teach your girls makeup basics but don't want the full-on makeup thingy (some schools prohibit them), this one is perfect. And I personally think that brow grooming must be one of the first 'makeup tips' that should be taught to young girls. Brow threading is optional here, but teaching them how to comb those brows and setting them in place with clear mascara is mandatory.



This blush (Natasha Beauty SecondSkin Blush in CoralCruise) is a personal favorite of mine because of its color. Because it's so all-around, this is one product that I could not go by without in my makeup bag. (Additional tip: after putting on powder blush, swirl a clean powder brush on your cheeks to buff out excess powder. When using a cream or liquid-tint blush, pat on some powder to avoid looking too severe.)



Lips

I actually feel bold enough to play up with my lips -- after all, if you feel awful with one lip color shade, then wipe it off and replace with another one. Because of that, it's also the best way to change looks in a single day: gloss by day, red lips by night; nude by day, plum by night... you get the picture.



The first lipstick is what Liz of Project Vanity calls the MLBB (my lips but better) color -- Natasha Beauty Color Spalipstick in Coco Haven. My lips are in a plum-brown shade, and the lip color is in that shade, but what I like the most is the creamy finish -- it's like lip balm, only heavily tinted. Actually, I'm partial to cream-finish lipsticks ever since my first self-purchased lipsticks...




Which leads us to the second and third lip shades: Maybelline Moisture Extreme Lipstick in Coral Pink and Buff. Today, this kind of lipstick has three case colors which indicates the shade's color family (pink, golden orange, red, brown), but when Moisture Extreme first came out in RP market, it is encased in a red case, just like this one (napaghahalata ang age ng lipstick! hahaha!).

Anyway, Coral Pink is my pink-but-not-too-pink lipstick -- it's actually a peach-pink one which looks a little light when applied to my lips, but actually looks like... my skin when I put on my blush (see above). On the other hand, Buff is my nude colored lip color. When I want a no-makeup look, this is what I reach my hands for.



This one is my 'pink' lipstick: Natasha Beauty Lush Lips Lipstick in Goddess. This is the lightest lip color in my kit, goes on creamy but has a sheer finish. The sheer finish is the reason why I still have it in my kit despite its light color -- when I want a polished or 'pa-sweet' look, this is what I apply.


I'm a huge fan of ChapStick. In fact, back in high school, my makeup only consists of Johnson's baby powder and ChapStick. My favorite variant is strawberry, but I'm currently using the spearmint variant. It was my brother who introduced me to the variant -- he let me borrow his spearmint ChapStick when mine went missing. I eventually found mine, and I let it finish off before buying my own spearmint ChapStick.


Bonus item:



I've mentioned this item once in this post, and I think it's worth mentioning since, after all, it's included in my kikay kit: my Fanny Serrano Lash Curler (see the print on the second photo?). As I've mentioned, I rarely put on anything on my eyes, but I think it works wonders in making my eyes seems awake even after pulling off an all-nighter. *wink wink!*

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So that ends my post of the day. Sorry for the long post, 'cause there really are lot of things in my kikay kit. 'Till next post!