Sleek Precious Metals Highlighting Palette

Hi Sweeties,

After the horrifically upsetting task of discarding old makeup, I decided to treat myself to a few new items to rebuild my collection.


This time I picked up the Precious Metals highlighting palette from Sleek MakeUP @ Superdrug, priced at £9.99

totally getting better at this photo taking thing >.> <.<

This is the pretty swish palette! It looks so lovely and classy appearance wise, and comes with 3 cream highlighters, 1 powder, mirror and an applicator brush (which as usual, I don't/won't use)


The creams leave a lovely dewy glow on your skin, and the choice of shades are perfect for mixing and matching to different areas of your face! The powder (antique bronze) gives a lovely shimmer for adding some contouring/depth too.  

Ok so, I just went for a natural look, and hoping that once again pictures will show just how nice a highlight you get from this.

 

I used a combination of Renaissance Gold & Royal Gold for my highlights on cheekbones, browbones, cupids bow & chin.
I used a little of the Antique Bronze to add some shimmer to my foundation base contour.
For the inner corners of my eyes, I went for the Platinum shade, which is the lightest and coolest toned of the 4, as it added such a great pop to brighten up my eyes.


I really do like the dewy, radiant glow that comes from using the palette, though it is a bit of a luxury product for me (Rarely do I spend £10+ on individual products, but I totally couldn't resist!)

 For the rest of the look, I used black liquid liner from Makeup Revolution (£3 if I remember rightly) 

I also used the Astor Eyepencil that I picked up from Poundland in my last post for this - as you can see it's just lovely, and stays on perfectly without setting with powder. 

For my lips, I picked up this nude lipstick called "The One" by Makeup Revolution, for a whole £1!
This stuff, much like the last lippies I got from them, last really really well! Eating, drinking, excessive yapping - stays on perfect! Definitely one to add to your budget buys list!

So what do you think? Have any of you tried this palette? Let me know below! 

Love,
          Kasumi x

Mini Poundland Haul - round2

Hi Sweethearts,

I took another rummage through my local Poundland store after a little tip off about new items from a friend that works in store (I have the best friends ^_^ )

This is what I came out with!
*Remember, I paid £1 per item*

Amazon brings these up for around £2 each +-

Astor Mono Eyeshadow

I've been interested in trying out products from Astor after having seen them about recently in the beauty blog groups. I picked up this charcoal eyeshadow since I really liked the appearance of it - the packaging is quite classic which I like.

 It applies ok, though not with those horrid applicators that keep being put my way XD I'm going to look forward to creating a look with this.

£4.59 in Tesco from my searching.

Barry M Dazzle Dust

I was actually hunting for a red eyeshadow when I spotted this to my luck in store. Same great quality as always from BarryM dusts, and the colour is fab! I used it for the look below!

Currently £6.49 in boots

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Velvet - Burning Lava! 

Ok so, I was really really looking forward to wearing this as it is a lovely lovely colour and the packaging is also pretty cool and on theme for this time of year.

 This applies effortlessly and you need only the tiniest bit of product to cover.

The downside of this however, is that it does leave a lot of residue on things like cups etc even after blotting. After eating it is half gone, which is a problem but it doesn't bleed out so that's a plus. (again used below for todays' look)
 I think with this I'm going to get crafty and see if I can use it for some sfx style things to keep with the Halloween Spirit heehee.

Not sure where else to get it in the UK, but can pick up on amazon/ebay for just under £3

Astor 24h Perfect Stay Waterproof eyeshadow pencil/crayon

Finally another product from Astor - this time an eyeshadow pencil.
 I tried this out shortly after photographing, and I absolutely love it! This stuff goes on super easy and soft, has real staying power, doesn't slide off unlike other creamy type shadows, and can blend super easy if you do it straight after application.

This is super quick to apply to your eyes which is perfect for those days I literally am running out of the door! I'm definitely going to try and pick up some other shades of this since I'm so pleased with it.

Todays' Look
(click the picture to see the colours better)

So here's a quick little look I threw together to play with my new red shadow and lip lacquer!
My selfie skills were most definitely not en point today though! >.<

Products:
Rimmel Match Perfection liquid foundation
Max Factor Pan Stick (for initial contour)
Makeup Revolution Concealer stick
Rimmel Stay Matte powder
Sleek Contour Palette
W7 the cheek of it blush
Makeup Revolution Highlighter - golden lights

Rimmel Glam Eyes HD Golden eye  - (black shadow & silver)
BarryM Dazzle Dust - (Red)
2True White Eyeliner Pencil
Barry M Eyeshadow Trio Shade: Tes2 Pretty Pastels -  (Blue)
w7 super brows pencil - (brown)
Miss Manga Mascara
Makeup Revolution Liquid Liner - (black)

Rimmel Apolalips lip velvet - (burning lava)

That's all for this time, but stick around for next time, where I'm going to go through some other things I managed to pick up! ^_^

Love,
          Kasumi x

L'oreal: Miss Manga vs. Miss Manga Punky (Review)

Hi Sweethearts,

I ventured into Superdrug recently to find myself a new mascara after my Eye inflammation - I wasn't going to take any chances on mascara.

Finally I decided to bite the bullet and try the L'Oreal Miss Manga Mascara...but was then confronted with about 4 different types!

What I bought:

So, I ended up buying both the Original Miss Manga & The Punky version, to pitt them against each other to see which I prefer, and if they are as interesting as they look.  (and it was 2 for £12 - usually £8.99 each, although superdrug has now reduced punky to £4.99)

The Wands:

Miss Manga:

Ok, so this is the wand for the original Miss Manga Mascara!

It is slightly more tapered than the mascara wands I'm used to, and shapewise it reminds me a little of a bud shape - much like some lip glosses.
 It's also quite bendy/flexible due to the indent (is that the right term?) on the stem of the wand - not that I think it makes much of a difference - although I tried to use this mascara whilst in the car, and the flexi bit made it harder to apply on the move!
Although, that being said,  makeup on the move isn't the easiest of tasks to begin with. >.<

Miss Manga Punky:

This is a totally different kind of wand from the original!

Whilst still tapered, this time, instead of the more common bristles, we've got short, hard plastic spikes that allow for a lot of product to go on at once.
 I usually very much dislike this sort of applicator, as I find it makes lashes clump together a lot...but this is exactly what Miss Manga Punky is supposed to do, so in that token it's fit for purpose!

Application: 

My eyes without mascara....and a very silly face, the theme of this post >.<

Here's a silly pic of my face without mascara! My lashes aren't super long, somewhere about average length I reckon, though not the darkest of things....seeing might be an issue. They tend to be a lot lighter at the tips, which makes them look shorter than they actually are.  -_-
 I do feel like my bottom lashes are more visible in real life than my top ones, so it's going to be interesting to see what I look like with these on!

Miss Manga:

This was quite a thick consistency product, but it applied alright - it wasn't too wet and dried pretty quickly!
It gave me a good length, and it added some extra volume, and it pretty much does as the promo shows.
The packaging says 'MEGA VOLUME' however, I don't really think it's terribly 'Mega' on the volume side if I'm honest. 

Miss Manga Punky:

Another quite thick product, but wow it is wet at the same time! I suppose this is to get your lashes to clump together, which it kind of did...and it took  longer to dry due to this! 
 According to the promo images, this mascara is supposed to give you a punky, super clumped together, spikey look - but you're not going to get that look from just applying it! 

Well, I didn't anyway...

 In order for my lashes to make spikes, I had to use some tweezers to press them together...so I find that misleading.

Both Products:
What I noticed with both products, as a side note, is that they have an unpleasant smell to them ...yes, I smelt them. Yes I did. 

I don't really think that there's a huge difference between my lashes if I'm totally honest, I did expect it to be a lot more dramatic.

Taking them off:

This is where it gets a bit interesting.

Miss Manga:

Ok, so this came off nice and easy, I really can't complain.

Miss Manga Punky:
Ugh. This took a while to come off! Because it dries hard and clumpy thanks to so much product going on your lashes, it takes a good bit to remove it - it will come off as a normal mascara, but also little clumps may stay stuck to your lashes, or it will come off in clumps too.
 It's wasn't fun to remove, so I wouldn't recommend you trying to wear this on a daily basis.

When water hits: 

Unfortunately the first time I tried these both, I'd just had word of a close family bereavement and so I was pretty teary.

On that note, HOLY HELL! I've never had mascaras that ran down my face, blackened pillows/bedding etc as much or as quickly as these products!

For the Miss Manga Punky that requires much effort to remove, it doesn't half spill down your face at the first sign of tears!

 I know they're not  'waterproof' mascaraa, but I didn't think they would react that easily! If I got caught out in the rain, I'd look like a complete wet weekend.

Which one would I choose to wear again?

Am I Punky or Angelic? (please excuse the hair)

For definite, the original Miss Manga wins hands down on this. 

I'm happy to keep on using the Miss Manga until it runs out, but I'll definitely be going back to my usual Maybelline Colossal, as I much prefer it and it's also a couple of quid cheaper!

I'd like to say that I'm disappointed by the Punky version, but I was apprehensive about it to begin with, so I just proved myself right unfortunately.  I'll use it as an alternative to bottom false lashes to use it up, which works fine, but wouldn't like to recommend it to anyone.

What do you guys think? Have you used either or these before? Do you like them? 
As usual, let me know in the comments below!

Love,
          Kasumi x

Review: Makeup Revolution Highlighter Golden Lights

Hi Sweethearts,

Sorry for the lack of activity here as of late! I've had a random bout of Iritis that left me with poor vision and unable to wear makeup for a week, and also some family issues have meant that I haven't been as active as I'd like to be.

I hit up my local Superdrug branch to pick up some new makeup whilst in passing - having realised that I ran out of concealer and needed a new mascara, I thought I'd see what I could snap up!
I will be reviewing and comparing items over the next few posts, so please keep checking back for these!

I've been in the market for a new shimmery highlighter powder ever since I managed to lose my last one. >.<
 When I spied this little beauty in the Makeup Revolution section I couldn't resist giving it a go!

This is the Vivid Baked Highlighter from Makeup Revolution in the shade 'Golden Lights'.

I tend to have a preference for a powder or baked highlighter, as opposed to a liquid for some reason, though I think that tends to be because I really like to notice I'm wearing it, and want don't want to risk it moving my foundation like I found with the last liquid I used.

Packaging:

The packaging is sleek and simple, and I really like the swirly pattern of it - it sort of reminds me of those Guylian seashell chocolates!

  Product: 

The highlighter wasn't hard to get onto the brush (some baked products can be a bit hard to get going) and has a really strong pigment/shimmer, so a little will go a long long way with this! (seriously, you only need a tiny bit, it goes on preeeeetty strong if you're not careful!) 

I applied this just with my finger to show it on my hand quickly, and this is how it turned out - so it's safe to say that you need to be quite careful when using it!

This shade has a lovely pale gold/creamy tone with an amazing pearly sheen to it - it's absolutely gorgeous when it catches the light and definitely brightens up your face.
 It also blends really easily, which is a massive plus!

I'm a little bit in love with this - it gives your skin a beautiful, summery glow that lasts all day!

Price:

This comes in at...wait for it.... £3 from Superdrug, which is great value for money, given the quality and amount of product you get - it's a pretty large size!

Overall Verdict:

I really like this product for the summer time, as it makes me feel a bit like I'm on holiday/at the beach - good value for money, and something that I will most likely buy again!

This comes in 2 other shades, a pink and a peach, all of which you can get here: http://www.superdrug.com/Makeup-Revolution/Makeup-Revolution-Highlighter-Golden-Lights/p/978758

In this pic I've applied it lightly in all the usual places, and also under the inner corners of my eyes - which is the part that the camera is picking up the best.

That's all for this time - if you have any questions or comments, you know what to do!

Love,
          Kasumi x

Lens Village Review - Gothic 3 Tones, EOS DollyEye Circle Lenses

Hi Sweethearts,

Hope you're all doing well!

I have a couple of things that I'm itching to post about, the first of which is a review of some new lenses that I got through last week from www.lensvillage.com
I've been looking for a more natural set of Circle lenses that will enhance my eyes, as I want to have a more mature, Onee-gyaru style going on. Big, cute colourful lenses just wouldn't work for that, as much as I adore them.

After a lot of browsing the LensVillage store, I finally settled on Gothic 3 Tones, from EOS - DollyEye, in Blue, to add a little extra oomph to my natural eye colour.

After ordering, the lenses arrived in just over a week, which is great considering that they're coming from Asia.

How they arrived:

Once again, my lenses came in perfect condition with a little card and super cute animal lens case to keep them in. They arrived securely wrapped in bubble wrap to avoid any bumps or damage in the post - but I haven't taken a photo this time round of that, though you can see this on my last lens village review here!

This is what the lenses look like in the case. Admittedly, they're not as bright as the stock image (unworn), but the real images of them on the site below were a perfect match to what I received - I'm happy that they aren't as bright as the stock type image, as they wouldn't look as nice that way.

Here are the specs for them:

Power Available : 0.00 to -10.00

Price: £14.60 (pair)

Life Span : 1 Year

Diameter : 14.5mm

Manufacturer : EOS

Origin : South Korea

Lenses is manufactured by EOS and labelled under DollyEye. 

They come in a choice of 9 different colours - that's really great news, as I'd like to try out a different colour of them too.
   Price wise, they're also very reasonable, considering that they can last up to a year if properly taken care of, and my monthly prescription lenses from the opticians are £15 per month! 

Here is a little selfie of my natural eyes before putting the lenses in! 

Putting the lenses in: 

I found these lenses to be really delicate and soft, which is great for me as they were super easy to put in and really comfortable to wear once the initial annoyance of poking myself in the eye was over with.
 I wore these all day (8hours) without any issues, so I'm very happy with that.

I also love the subtle difference that they make to my eyes - they're very natural and not "in your face" circle lenses, so these aren't for you if you want a massive change.

Here are my eyes & lenses in different situations: 

As you can see, they give a slight enlarging effect, but without the hard black ring around the edge, so they look a lot more natural and, for me, grown up.

I really like the subtle colour boost that comes from them - they have that "pop" without being overdone and I really love that.
These are the type of lenses I'm more comfortable wearing on a more regular basis, and with my Onee-Gyaru style, which I feel suits me a lot better.

Here are a few pics with the lenses in: 

...and a little picture of todays' outfit!

Dress: Primark (I got it on sale for £5)
Belt: Primark (came with another dress)
Jewellery set: Primark (£4)

Overall Verdict:

Look: 4/5 (only because the stock photo showed brighter, in reality they're pretty perfect)
Fit: 5/5
Comfort: 5/5
Service: 5/5

I really like these lenses for more subtle looks, and will be wearing them regularly, though I'm very tempted to try the other colours in this range!


So, what do you all think?  Do you prefer the more natural look circle lenses, or the really dolly, cute type?

Have you used these lenses before - let me know in the comments below!

Love, Kasumi x

Etude House - Dr. Ampoule Review (Lifting Care)

Hi Sweethearts,

Sorry that this weeks' post is a little late, I'm been rushed off my feet at the moment! >.<

After rushing around, I felt like I was definitely in need of some "me-time" and so I decided to kick back and relax with the Etude House Dr. Ampoule facemask - lifting care.

Little bit about this:

This is from the Korean Brand Etude House (http://www.etudehouse.com) that I absolutely adore, from their Dr. Ampoule range of mask sheets.

These come in a few different types, such as brightening, time , essential, vital, and the one I'm trying out: Lifting care.
 This mask sheet is said to make your skin firmer and more youthful, with the concentrated ampoules, it's supposed to be super effective.

These can be bought on etudehouse.com for $3.50 each, which at the moment is around £2.23 - so these aren't bank breaking at all! 

Here is my before face - (apologies for the super tired, "I need a break" look) >.<

How to use the mask: 

Ok, so this is a 2 step face mask, which is something that I've never experienced before but fun to try out!

STEP 1: The first step is to open & apply part 1, which is the lifting ampoule. This has quite a gel-like texture, and absorbs quite quickly into your skin to do it's job effectively.

Not too sure how well you'll see this in the picture, but I have just applied the ampoule. 

STEP 2: The second step is to apply the mask sheet (part 2) onto your face, having just applied the ampoule in step 1.

The Mask sheet fitted my face pretty ok, considering that this is a Korean product and my face shape is different to Korean Facial structure, I was quite happy with the fit.

The mask sheet was packed full of product, it was pretty slippery to unfold but I'd much rather lots of product instead of too little - because of this, it adhered really well!
It also had a lovely fresh, clean scent to it, that helped wake me up a little bit.

Result: 

So, after 20mins (pack suggests 15-20) chill time on my sofa, it was time to take the mask sheet off.
 Unlike other masks, the instructions on this told me not to remove the excess product, but instead leave it to soak into my skin.

This is how my face looks afterwards.

(Please excuse my hair, it's currently undergoing a change which I'll be blogging about next week.)

I don't know how much of a physical difference you can see, but there definitely is a little bit from the first time application.
My skin does feel firmer and tighter, which I'm really pleased about, and I had no issues or reactions at all with the ingredients

It's definitely a product that I'm going to use again, and I'd also like to test out the other masks in Dr. Ampoule range.


Have any of you used these masks? What did you think?
What type of masks do you like to use?

As usual, leave me comments below!

Love,

           Kasumi x

Makeup Find & Review: Japanese Maybelline Jelly Glow Blush in the UK?

Hey Sweethearts,

After having a discussion with a friend on Facebook about which Japanese Makeup Brands we'd like to try out, it made me think about just how different makeup from global brands is in different countries.

I took a trip to my favourite place for makeup on the high street (Watt Brothers) and came across a very interesting item: Maybelline Jelly Glow Blush....from Japan!
 As a massive Japan enthusiast, and makeup collector hoarder I had to pick one up to test it out.

So this is the Maybelline Blush Studio Jelly Glow in Shade 1: Pop Pink
It comes in a cute little box, and has 6 different shades in total - if I've done my homework correctly! >.<
My local Watt Brothers has shades 01 & 02 (both pink shades) in stock.

Taking it out of the box, it is a cute looking domed case that shows the colour of the product well. I really like the packaging for this - it's very fun, young and fresh feeling. 

The product itself is also dome shaped, and when I pressed it (because that's just what I do! haha!)  it was spongey/jelly like in texture, but still firm enough to keep its shape and volume.

I've just gotten into using cream type blushers as opposed to powders, as I'm enjoying having a lighter face of makeup on for the Spring & Summer months, so it's a nice change from powders and heavy foundations.
 When I first tried this, I found it to be really well pigmented, and works like a cream blush that spreads really well on your cheeks to leave you with a lovely dewy glow that feels weightless.
 You can also layer this up for a more dramatic, stronger effect ^_^


Here is a little selfie wearing this blusher, which I applied with my fingertips.

I really love this product - it works so well for me, and I'm so happy to have found it locally!
What does upset me though, is the difference between the products sold here and elsewhere in the world from the same brand.

I can only assume it's the market that dictates what kind of product a brand should be selling and where, which can be fair enough, but when certain places are limited to 1 or 2 products from the brand, it really makes you wonder who they are actually aiming at?

Here are a few screen grabs from various Maybelline official global websites:

From left to right:

Top: Japan, UK, Thailand

Bottom: USA, Italy 

As you can see, the UK & Italy have the least and most basic/classic products available to them, whilst the USA & Asian countries have more variety and the products are more varied and have a more fun element to them - is this a reflection of the people in these countries in regards to beauty?
If so, then why so serious UK & Europe?
These are just a few sample screenshots, though I've looked at other EU countries websites and it's all pretty similar to the UK...which I feel is disappointing. It would be so nice to be able to try out all of the other products without having to import them from other countries.

What do you all think? Would you prefer the products available to other countries over what your own has?
As usual, let me know in the comments below!

Love,

         Kasumi x

Montagne Jeunesse Facemask Review - TeaTree & Spearmint

Hey Sweethearts,

I've been getting some different face masks lately, as I'm trying to take better care of my skin (especially now that I'm in my mid 20's and should be thinking about it more).

At the moment my skin is hit or miss, which is down to a combination of diet, general health and hormones trying to settle back down from restarting the contraceptive pill.
I don't know about the rest of you, but at certain times of the month, my skin tends to be oilier (I do have naturally oily skin anyway) and generally likes to break out - what about you?
Sorry to bring this up for any male readers, but yes, we're having the period chat, because it likes to alter your skins appearance and that's just plain mean & uncalled for!

So, based on my oily, spot prone skin, I picked up a Spearmint and TeaTree face mask from Montagne Jeunesse in my local Asda store, for the grand total of £1.28.
Tea tree has anti bacterial properties and reduces inflammation, whilst spearmint is supposed to fight the oil, and leave your skin feeling tingly.

First up I gave my skin a wee cleanse....so here's a mugshot of a very barefaced, deeply awful looking me, fresh from the bath *hence the towel-hat* 

Let's pop on the cotton mask! Unfortunately, I never seem to be able to have these things fit me properly, either I have a tiny face, or these are made really big - especially at the chin area!

Do these things fit you ok? Let me know!

So, the packet said that this should only stay on for about 5-10 minutes max, and it should leave my skin feeling brighter, fresher and more even.

So, off I went to chill on the sofa for a little bit.

The smell of the spearmint was really strong, and my skin tingled quite a bit - definitely not a mask to have on for longer than 10mins. That aside, I really did enjoy having it on and chilling out for a bit, and felt a lot more awake afterwards!

When I took the mask off, I definitely noticed that my skin looked a bit brighter and didn't look as tired as it did beforehand. It also felt a lot nicer and smoother, and looked a bit more even in tone too. (There are differences in the lighting from the first photo - so difference is more subtle than photos show)

Verdict: 

I quite like this face mask. It's nice to use the cotton masks as opposed to the ones you kinda just slap on your face, and then spend ages trying to get it all off!

I like the effect it's had on my skin, it feels smoother and brighter, though if you're sensitive to any of the ingredients especially the mint, then it's maybe not for you as it's pretty strong!

My skin hasn't really freaked out after having used it, and it's been a few days now, so that's always a plus.

Would I buy it again? For £1.28 I probably will - face masks are a great way to force myself into taking a break & relaxing, so it's a double plus.

Love,

Kasumi x

Etude House review pt.1

Hi Sweethearts,

I've been asked to do a review of the products from my last blog post (Etude House haul) which I love doing...I've definitely got the reviewing bug!

I'm going to this is 3 different parts as I want to create a couple of different looks with the items, and then a separate review post for the skincare items. (That way it's a lot easier to read than a massive, long, probably tedious post) 


So here's my look from today:

I chose a smokey look for today, as I was attending the Edinburgh Tattoo Convention with a couple of friends, and kept it quite casual.

My grey shadow blends into a cream coloured shadow at my brow bone, but my fringe is covering it in the pic....since I was running late I didn't remember to take a picture with my fringe pulled back, Sorry!

So, starting from the eyes, I chose shadows from my w7 In The Nude Palette (you can see my review of that here: http://kasumihime.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/w7-in-nude-palette-review.html) & added a light dusting of MUA Black shadow to give the shadow a greyer tone.

I decided to use the Black (shade 1) Play101 pencil from my Etude House haul for my eyeliner today, as a change from my usual liquid. 

Here's a screenshot from the Etude Website, showing you what the pencil looks like, and the price!

You can pop the back of the pencil off to reveal a mini sharpener for the eyeliner, for creating super fine & sharp lines although I decided not to use it this time. 

I don't really use pencil liners as my main liner much these days, so it was nice to change it up for a softer effect. 

Initially, I applied this liner with a slight flick at the end of my eye as I do with most of my daily looks, and then applied it in a solid thick line halfway under my eyes from outer corner to middle corner.
 The website lists this specific pencil as "creamy" and the consistency really is as described as it just glided on perfectly first time!
  I decided to test out how well it smudged by using it quite thickly under my eyes, and then smoked it out with a brush. As you can see from the picture, once again it smoked out really easily with minimal effort to create a nice blended look!
 Again, I used this to line both my upper and lower water line to add to the smokey, sexy look (although I don't look sexy in the slightest today - one can't master a selfie whilst rushing out the door!) 

I'm really impressed with it - it lasted all day without smudging or running down my face, even after I spent a good 10minutes crying with laughter at a silly story!

Next up - cheeks! 

Continuing on to my blush/cheeks, I chose the Sweet Recipe all over colour in Peach for this look as I wanted to keep my blush light and natural so as not to clash with the eyes or lips. 

This is what the all over colour looks like in the tin - a lovely pinky peachy colour...and it's even peach scented! I could have just eaten it, it smells that good!

I applied a very small amount of this to the apples of my cheeks with my fingers to give my face a lovely fresh, healthy glow.
 The all over colour has the consistency of a creamy lip balm, and blends to a lovely, natural dewy look. You can apply this either under or over your powder with out it looking cakey or removing powder - it feels really light on your skin too.
 This can also be used as a lip balm or an eye colour - whichever you prefer or all of the above! In my case, I bought this specifically as a blusher.

You can layer this up for a stronger look without any issues too - with some cream products, it can remove or move around the previous layers eg. foundation and cause patchiness, but this definitely doesn't. (I added an extra layer later on in the day to test this) 

I really love the natural look of this, and think it's going to be perfect for my spring/summer looks where my makeup will be lighter to complement seasonal outfits and warmer weather. (Though I live in Scotland, where summer happens for 2 weeks at the most...so who am I trying to kid with 'warmer weather' >.<)

Lips

Back to my other Play101 pencils!

I picked shades 23 (dark red, Glossy) & 50 (Brown, Creamy) as I spied it on the Korean Etude house website as a complete lip look and fell in love with the combination.

I love ombre/gradient lips, and have done ever since I was a teenager in my Goth phase, so this was harking back to a more rockier style choice and I couldn't resist!

Now, I have to say, once again both of these pencils just GLIDE on! They apply so effortlessly, and make blending really easy. What I also love about these in regards to lips, is that they're pencils as opposed to big chunky lipsticks, so it's far easier to create a sharp, defined lip.

In regards to staying power, these do hold pretty well &, although I don't find the red at all kiss-proof - you will get some residue from it, though that doesn't affect the colour on your lips. This is due to it being a glossy texture I think, the brown was pretty kiss-proof and no residue came off on my drinking straws at all.
 It did come off a good bit whilst I was eating my dinner this evening, though this was after 8 hours of wear...and the fact that I was eating a massive hotdog, in a manner much akin to a starving Barbarian that hadn't seen food for days! 
Had I been more ladylike in my approach to eating, then it would have stayed a lot better...but how can you eat this in a ladylike manner? 

Haus Dog with gherkins, mustard and a big coating of Sauerkraut! Also some seriously amazing proper chips with cheese on top & a vanilla raspberry shake! Nomnomnom! Thank you Burger Edinburgh, my dinner was extremely delicious!  


So this concludes part 1 of my Etude House haul reviews, hopefully this was helpful to you all!

If you have any more questions, or have any feedback for me then please drop me a comment in the box provided below!

Love,

Kasumi x