EMPTIES & REJECTS

It's time for another round of empties and rejects! I threw out a whole lot of stuff before Christmas (which I didn't photograph), hoping to organize the mess that is my makeup collection. I still have a few drawers to go through, but my goal this year is to keep my collection within reasonable control and hopefully rediscover all those things I've neglected for so long. Now let's get into it! ;)

Firstly, the EMPTIES!

Lancome Bi-Facil Eye Makeup Remover
I really like this, it wipes away even the toughest mascara and compares closely with my all time favorite - Chanel Gentle Biphase Eye Makeup Remover. I'm still on the look out for a drugstore alternative, I go through at least 3-4 bottles of remover a year so it's something I'm willing to cheap out on!
Repurchase? Maybe.

Origins Plantscription Anti-aging Serum
Despite getting through the bottle, I'm unsure if this serum really did anything for my skin. I know serums work best over prolong use (possibly years?), but Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair and Lancome Visionnaire definitely gave me visible results after the first few months of use, so I expected a little more after finishing this.
Repurchase? No.

Schwarzkopf Instant Volume Powder
This stuff gives my hair instant lift, but it also makes it impossible to brush through, even with fingers! Every time I sprinkle this product onto my scalp, it would leave my hair very knotted and chalky, and it took a whole lot of shampoo to get out too. I get the same result with Batiste dry shampoo, so I would recommend that instead if you are looking for some volume.
Repurchase? No.

AND in all its glory...

Laura Mercier Satin Lip Colour Duchess Rose
I know this is a teeny tiny sample, but I got through it - a lipstick!! Duchess Rose is a lovely peachy-rose, and the sample size makes it perfect to throw into a small clutch when there's no room to spare. I don't like the shade enough to purchase the full size though, but will probably think about this again later on. 
Repurchase? Not at this moment.

Bobbi Brown Lip Balm SPF 15
This little thing took forever to finish. It's a really moisturizing balm, but just falls short in comparison to my longtime HG Jack Black. This wears really well under lipstick too.
Repurchase? No.

Jump for the REJECTS!

TOO FACED LA CREME COLOR DRENCHED LIP CREAM

I know I'm very behind, but happy Lunar New Year and Valentines Day! I didn't realise it's been 3 weeks since my last post, I've been a little swamped with work stuff, but I'm back with more lipstick love to spread! ;)

Too Faced La Creme lip creams have been around for quite some time now, but I've only very recently discovered them. They boast of being pigmented, rich and creamy, and the formula contains lotus flower extract and peptides to condition and soothe the lips. I'm a huge fan of Too Faced Shadow Insurance, and after reading nothing but good things about these lippies, I knew I had to get my hands on them. They are my very first lipstick purchase for 2013, and despite vowing to spend a little less on makeup this year, these are absolutely worth it!

I think Too Faced did an awesome job on the box packaging of these lip creams, I love the floral design, though I've yet to be convinced on the frosted gold encasing of the actual lipstick. The metal is rather fragile - I accidentally dropped it the other day and already made a big dent, and it landed on carpet! However, at the end of the day it's the product that really matters and the formula is amazing! 

Naughty Nude; a soft beige with pink/peach undertones.

 Juicy Melons; a coral with strong pink undertones.

KOH GEN DO AQUA FOUNDATION

I was pretty much hell-bent on getting my hands on Koh Gen Do when I was in Japan last year. Their foundations have been much raved about and though I was uncertain about where to find KGD in Japan, it is widely available and seems to be very popular with locals.

For those who have purchased this exact foundation from Sephora, you may noticed my bottle looks a little odd (the Sephora version has a black cap), but I do believe this is purely packaged differently for the Japanese market and the formula should be the same, I think. 

I purchased this Aqua Foundation for 4830 yen (around $50 AUD) - this is sold on Sephora for $62 USD - which really isn't too bad compared to mark ups here in Australia. I was a little disappointed with the limited shade range - there were only 4 shades at the counters I visited, but Sephora has 8 shades available. This shade I have is PK-1, designed for pink undertones, which I wasn't too sure about but it somehow manages to fit my skintone quite well. The formula applies on the sheerer side, so there is a bit of leeway if you can't get an exact match. It's also very buildable, and I can get what I consider to be full coverage with 2-3 layers of this foundation.

Before and after application. I have to say I'm having quite a good run with my skin at the moment (i.e. no major blemishes), though my eye bags, freckles and redness still need a bit of cover up. As you can see with after application, my skin looks visibly smoother, brighter and the finish is very natural. I only applied one layer of foundation, and with a little concealer underneath the eyes I'm pretty much good to go. Note: I used KGD Makeup Colour Base (the yellow one) as my primer.