HAUL: MORE BB CREAMS (SKIN79), CLINIQUE & THE BALM

How I wish I was attending the upcoming London Fashion Week - I had such a great time in September and I wish I could enjoy it every season, every year for the rest of my life!

Apart from a flying visit to London (which is happening soon), I will be in Asia until at least the summer and I miss the UK awfully already! I will be spending much of the coming month in Beijing, China which may mean that I can't spend much time online. However, if I do manage to get connected then I may have more time to blog again.

I don't mean to be dreary at all, just feeling a bit nervous about everything. I'll be staying on campus at a local university doing a course and I'll be excited to be in Beijing again and to be blogging from there!

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Back to beauty...

You didn't think that I'd be content with trying just ONE BB cream, did you?!

Scroll down to a few posts below to find my review of my first BB cream purchase (the Sasatinnie Sakura BB Cream) as well as a general overview of what BB creams are.

Hong Kong is a cosmetics wonderland and when I saw these two shiny cylinders of Skin79 BB creams I HAD to pick them up. My decision was also made much easier by the fact that the gorgeous Ingrid of missglamorazzi uses the pink version on a daily basis! The two TheBalm items were impulse purchases (sucked in by that packaging again) and the Clinique sunscreen is nothing too exciting but I was on the lookout for something I could wear on my off-days that would give me some UV protection.

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SWATCHES
(L-R)

Skin79 VIP Gold collection BB cream (Pewter packaging)
Skin79 Triple function Hot Pink BB cream (Pink packaging)
TheBalm Bahama Mama bronzing powder
TheBalm Time Balm concealer in Light/Clair

I didn't swatch the Clinique sunblock as it does not really give any coverage at all - it is just a slightly yellow/beige tinted lotion that spreads out to give the TINIEST HINT of colour and a subtle glow to the face. I have been using as a base for foundations that have no/insufficient SPF as well as just an SPF in general!


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REVIEWS

Skin79 VIP Gold collection BB cream (Pewter packaging)
& Skin79 Triple function Hot Pink BB cream (Pink packaging)

If you google these BB creams, you will undoubtedly find a plethora of information regarding all the bells and whistles that come with them including whitening and moisturising effects, sun protection, foundation-like coverage, gold and caviar extracts (VIP Gold), sunflower, rice bran and ivy extracts (Hot Pink), etc etc. In my opinion this is mainly marketing puff and I'm going to focus on my experience of using the creams themselves rather than whether they live up to all these hyped up expectations!

Skin79 is a famous brand of BB cream originating from Korea and is known as the Queen of BB Creams because of its extensive range of products and its celebrity endorsements. Not to mention an endorsement from Ingrid of MissGlamorazzi herself :)

Skin79 suggests the VIP Gold BB cream for people with dryer skins and the Hot Pink one for people with an oilier skin. Personally I find this to be correct as the Gold feels more moisturising and looks dewy whilst the Hot Pink one dries to more of a matte finish (as long as you use a non-greasy oil controlling moisturiser!).

I have included a chart issued by Skin79 to help you figure out where these two BB creams sit amongst their wide range of similar products. They both come in a cylindrical packaging and the product is dispensed by pressing the top down and pumping it out.


- Texture -

The texture of these BB creams is fairly thick, similar to the MAC Studio Tint tinted moisturiser or (more crudely) toothpaste. The cream is thick enough to hold its shape when you pump it onto your finger (i.e. doesn't slide around or plop off).

- Colour -

The 2 BB creams are actually very similar in colour but this VIP Gold one is ever-so-slightly darker. As you can see from the picture above, both of them pull VERY BEIGE, which did alarm me when I first pumped the product out! BB creams generally only come in 1 universal shade (sometimes they range to 3 shades) which is definitely something the market could improve on in general if they wanted to truly compete with the foundation market. At the moment these are equivalent to tinted moisturisers that only come in 1 tint!

- Application -

Upon application to the skin, both of the creams spread out easily and help to even out my skintone. They do not cover up all my blemishes and I need to conceal a bit further - however, you only need a small amount to give a good amount of coverage. I have a yellow-toned skin and upon initial blending, these look VERY VERY PINK on my skin, but they adapt to my skin within 30 minutes or so and are virtually undetectable - no cakeyness here!

EXTRA: I picked up a cute technique for application from a Skin79 video on youtube that would work great for combination skins - apply the more moisturising VIP Gold BB cream all over the face then use the Hot Pink BB Cream on the T-zone to mattify slightly. I have been using this technique and it works great!

- Repurchase? -

I will definitely be repurchasing these, particularly the Hot Pink one but preferably both of them as I think they work well together. I am also intruiged by the rest of the Skin79 range.

Normally, I WOULD say that I would not recommend these 2 particular creams to anyone above NC40 as it may be difficult to blend the light beige cream in successfully. HOWEVER!!! I have used both of these creams on my mum (who is around an NC37) and they blend to an imperceptible and perfect finish on her face, despite looking MUCH lighter than her skin when I first applied it. Very impressed so far!

TheBalm Bahama Mama bronzing powder

Despite how dark this looks in the pan and in the swatch, it is actually a really natural bronzer and applies smoothly to give a warmth to the face. I actually prefer light brown and slightly sparkly bronzers but I am using this to contour lightly and it works well!

TheBalm Time Balm concealer in Light/Clair

Another deceiving swatch - this looks almost salmon pink (much more pink than in my photo) on my hand when I swatch it! However, it blends in GORGEOUSLY with my skin and is creamy and moisturising but surprisingly long-lasting despite its emoillient texture. I use it both for undereye circles and blemishes and it works brilliantly on both! This won't last for hours and hours like some truly long-lasting concealers will but it will never cause flaky patches or sink into the lines under your eyes and I would personally rather top my concealer up once during the day than look flaky and crusty right from the start!

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Phew!!! I hope that was helpful :) If you have any questions then don't hesitate to ask them! I'd love to hear from you guys.

You can also email me or tweet me at http://www.twitter.com/geisharocks.

Love,
Geisha
xoxo

HAUL: Benefit, MAC, BB Cream & swatches

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HAUL

(Clockwise from top left)

Shiseido Natural Finish Cream Concealer in 2 Light Medium

MAC Chromographic pencil in NW25/NC30

Benefit Some Kinda Gorgeous foundation faker (round record compact)

Sasatinnie BB Cream Sakura fragrance SPF35+

MAC mineralize eyeshadow trio in Blue My Mind

Benefit BadGal lash

MAC lipglass in Jealous

Sephora professional brush #45

Benefit Sugarbomb blush

I'm going to include swatches and reviews of the following products

(except for the Shiseido concealer, which I only bought yesterday and want to use regularly for a little while before I review it...... OK FINE I also forgot to swatch it).

MAC mineralize eyeshadow trio in Blue My Mind

This was a Christmas present and is quite far off from the sorts of shadows that I would normally choose for myself! I'm more attracted to browns and purples but I might branch out to more crazy colours in the summer months (corals and turquoises anyone?). This came out with the Into the Groove collection.

Anyway, these mineralize eyeshadows are creamy and pigmented and there is some fallout so they are best used over an eyeshadow base. They can be used wet to intensify the colours. Temptalia has a great picture of how these shadows look when used dry HERE and foiled HERE (why do I even bother, haha).

Benefit Sugarbomb blush

Subtle, glowy, shimmery and ever so pretty. My swatches are slightly useless so I hope you can make out something on my cheek. In real life this looks like a flush of pinky, rosy, purply, peachiness (obviously! but that's honestly what it looks like). I swirl a huge eco tools powder brush into it and swish it all over my cheeks.

If you hate shimmer in your blushes then this is NOT for you as there is detectable sheen on the face but I personally am loving it as it acts as a highlight, gives the face a healthy glow and flies in the face of the typical dark berry "winter" cheeks! I don't want to look frostbitten, I want to look glowing!

MAC Chromagraphic pencil in NW25/NC30

I actually have the lighter version of this pencil back in the UK which I often use on my waterline to brighten up the eye (although I'm currently using Benefit's Eye Bright pencil). This pencil is lovely and creamy, just like the lighter colour and would work equally well on the waterline. I will also probably use this as a concealer for precision concealing.

Sasatinnie BB Cream - Sakura fragrance SPF35+

Some of you may be asking - what is a BB cream? Until very recently (ie. Christmas), I had no idea either! However, the craze for these creams is hard to avoid in Hong Kong and I was intruiged enough by these so-called "miracle" creams to purchase one to try out myself. I chose a mid-range one by SaSa's own brand sasatinnie (SaSa is the asian version of Sephora/Boots/Superdrug).

Incidentally, I usually prefer to buy a drugstore's own brand product if I am unsure about a new product with lots of choices of brands because I believe that a huge drugstore empire have more money to invest in research and development, compared to a smaller independent brand who may try to plaster their products with enlarged claims of their positive effects without actually backing up the claims with research and proper testing. Large drugstores also often come up with great products that cause huge crazes - case in point: Boots No7 Protect and Perfect serum!

BB stands for Blemish Balm and BB creams are marketed as a moisturiser, sunscreen and foundation all-in-one product. They were apparently developed to be used by patients after plastic surgery to help them to heal as well as providing some coverage but became big news in Korea (with the craze spreading throughout asia) because of korean celebrities claiming that it was what they used to achieve their flawless, porcelain skin.

This particular BB cream is one of many (I must have swatched about 40 different types) and so far, I am fairly pleased with it and enjoy using it but am not exactly singing its praises from the rooftops. It has the slightly runny texture of a thin cream and spreads easily over the skin. It is light beige in colour (BB creams often only come in 1 colour but there are so many different types within different ranges within different brands that there are quite a lot of beige and yellow and peachy undertones to choose from) and is a little bit lighter than my skin but applying a thin layer helps to brighten up my face.

The sakura fragrance that this claims to have is not very strong and the SPF35+ is definitely a bonus. I started off using this as a foundation but found it a bit too light and too shimmery!!! This is my main gripe with this product - it is just too shimmery for anyone with less than perfect skin. There are BB creams available that have a more matte finish but this particular one has a slight shimmer to it. I now use this as a base with my Benefit Some Kind-a Gorgeous.

Benefit Some Kind-a Gorgeous, the foundation faker

I've nicked a swatch off the Beauty Bite (one of my favourite make up blogs) as I forgot to swatch this too. I'm going mad! Anyway, when I first discovered Benefit & started wearing make up (around 2002), I was sucked in by the glossy kitschy packaging and tempting product descriptions and this was one of my first purchases. I remember liking it and using it all up, but after a while I thought it was a little dark for my skin and stopped buying it.

However, I decided to give this another go and have been wearing it over a thin layer of my BB cream. It is a cream to powder product and I use my Sephora #45 brush (LOVE LOVE LOVE) to apply it - it actually feels like I'm not putting anything on the skin! It is still significantly warmer than my skintone but I'm kind of into a slightly tanned (or should that be orange/tangoed) skin to warm up my complexion as I am feeling like death frozen over in this cold weather! It does get oily after a few hours so I just powder it with a little Rimmel Stay Matte powder.

Benefit BadGal Lash mascara

Just a quick scary close up to show you how one coat of this mascara looks. This product has the most scathing reviews on Makeupalley (ditto with the Some Kind-a Gorgeous) which upsets me as I regard Makeupalley as having the best advice, as long as you read enough reviews, ignore the useless ones that say "this is crap but i found my perfect shade and i'm nc25" (and what might that shade be, in case other nc25ers are reading?! like I said, USELESS!!) and keep in mind your own beauty needs.

BUT I disagree - I love the big brush, I love the formulation and how it makes my lashes look, its buildable and gives my lashes both volume AND length and doesn't irritate my eyes (I have been allergic to the last 2 mascaras I've tried - Clinique High Definition lashes and a random japanese brand that I can't read the name of). I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a mascara that gives a bit more oomph than an everyday mascara but isn't clumpy and spidery and scary (Maybelline the Falsies I'm talking about you!).

Hope that was useful :)

What products have you been loving recently?

Are you still enjoying the dark berry shades of winter or have you dug out the coral nail polish and self-tanner in preparation for the warmer months/denial of the cold?

Love,

Geisha

xoxo

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the Balm Cosmetics (& CHRISTMAS IN HONG KONG)

Darlings, I'm baaack - it's been far too long since my last post and I've really missed blogging! I've been reading all of your blogs but haven't had the time to blog myself or comment regularly.

I hope that you all had the merriest of Christmases filled with mince pies, port, carolling, brandy butter and all the other lovely things that come with the festive season. I arrived on Christmas eve and therefore spent most of it in a jet-lagged stupour, waking at midnight to eat a huge Christmas dinner... midnight munchies! I also had a truly good nosh fest at a Christmas day buffet hosted by the Marina club in Hong Kong. What does everyone have planned for new years eve? I will be at a cabaret themed club night, daintily slurping and guzzling my way through the open bar & unlimited canapes that will be on offer.

Diet, me?

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EUROTRIP



My previous post gives away the main event of the last few months - my trip to Luxembourg! It was absolutely wonderful and I say this as a complete bright-lights-big-city sort of gal. Despite it being a tiny, land-locked Grand Duchy, I found that it surprised me with its quaint beauty and strong international vibe, mainly due to the mix of people who work in Luxembourg City, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (which was where I was based). It is common for people to commute in from neighbouring countries (Germany, Belgium) and it is only a short train ride away from a huge range of exciting places that are perfect for a weekend trip (Paris, anyone?).


It's the building buried in the valley greenery on the bottom right corner of the photo!

I ended up staying at the Luxembourg City Youth Hostel for most of the time due to the short nature of my stay. I haven't stayed in many youth hostels, but this far exceeded my expectations (contrary to the horror stories told by friends and family) as it was almost like a hotel with dorm rooms! I ate delicious and reasonably priced meals in the hotel restaurant EVERY DAY and was never disappointed, which is more than you could say even for most hotel food (almost always mediocre and overpriced).



The nightlife was limited in choice but always buzzing at the weekends, despite the size of the city and the nature of its residents - I have fond memories of Scott's Pub (an British themed bar with a difference... everyone working there was actually British! Including the resident jazz guitarist) and The Tube (pictured! This was loosely themed on the London Underground but the theme wasn't explored much further than a faded wall mural of the tube map)



If you happen to be road-tripping around that area of Europe or are planning a Eurotrip, I recommend that you take out a day or two (for that is all Luxembourg City really needs for a full tour) to explore this glorious little city. I haven't mentioned the great transport system, the charming eateries in the town centre, the breathtaking valleys on which the city is built on and the fascinating insight you can get of Luxembourg's fascinating history whilst admiring the beautiful stone structures dotted throughout the old town and exploring its mysterious underground cave system.

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BLOGGING FROM ABROAD

I am currently in Hong Kong for the next few months and am excited to be blogging from here. I am by no means a tourist as I am originally from HK and lived and went to school here for many years but I've been away for so long that everything has changed (shops seem to change every few months!) and I will enjoy sharing my opinions on everything from food to fashion as I re-discover Hong Kong for myself.

GLOW

I decided to have some fun with my make up today and use a few new products from theBalm Cosmetics that I recently bought from SaSa (our drugstore equivalent here in asia) to create a bronzy, shimmery look.

MAKE UP USED:

BASE:
- Maybelline Dream Satin foundation in Nude -

CHEEKS:
- Bobbi Brown blush in Desert Rose and Pale Pink (swirled together with a stippling brush) -
- theBalm cosmetics Mary-Lou Manizer AKA "the Luminizer" along cheekbones -

EYES:
- theBalm cosmetics Mary-Lou Manizer all over the lid up to the brow -
- theBalm cosmetics Shady Lady eyeshadow in All About Alex (swatch below) blended along the lashline and smudged upwards -
- L'oreal Contour Khol in Dark Chocolate to tightline -
- 17 Eyebrow Shaper in Natural Brown on the brows -
- Clinique High Impact Mascara in 01 Black -

LIPS:
- Estee Lauder Pure Color Crystal Lipstick in 301 Crystal Baby -

Mugshot for detail

i.D. magazine inspired



* NEW STUFF FROM THEBALM COSMETICS*

I was really excited to find this brand in Hong Kong as its not readily available in the UK and even in London I think it is exclusively stocked at Harvey Nichols. My attention was first brought to this brand by the lovely Ruth from A Model Recommends who reviewed the Luminizer in one of her videos.

Mary-Lou Manizer AKA the Luminizer

A gorgeous shimmery champagne gold highlight and eyeshadow with buttery textured powder. This is really easy to work with and may look scary when you swipe it but blends out nicely. It is a bit glittery so not the most subtle of highlighters but a tiny bit goes a long way and the sheen it imparts is really pretty.


Shady Lady eyeshadow in All About Alex

A gilded khaki with a pewter undertone. Glimmering goodness. The texture of all the eyeshadows are similar to the Luminizer and the pay-off and buildability are fairly good too, probably even better with UDPP or TFSI as a base (I don't have either - shame on me. I'm holding out for the UDPP in its new squeeze tube packaging!)



The other two Shady Lady shadows in:

Curvy Cami

A glittery mid-toned purple that leans slightly towards cranberry when swatched. Similar to Trax from MAC but I prefer this as the texture is much easier to work with - MAC shadows can sometimes be dry and hard to get good colour pay-off from.


Luscious Lani

A light glimmery pale pink, slightly frosty - the camera has picked up champagne for some reason but its definitely pink, almost how Benefit's High Beam looks in the bottle. Looks great with Curvy Cami :)

* Other close ups *

Estee Lauder Crystal Baby

You've probably heard of this from the Pixiwoo sisters and Tanya Burr of Pixi2woo who love using this for a natural full pink lip. Smells scrummy too.

Clinique High Impact Mascara

My current favourite. The story behind this purchase was that I recently discovered my ANCIENT old tube, which was only a tester but had not dried out at all after years and years! I was so impressed considering that I have owned mascaras that dry out after a month or two or, worse still, are dry and flaky to begin with! Obviously I wasn't about to use a mascara that was about 5 years old so I popped out and bought another sample for myself.

HK sells samples of everything - perfume (cute little 5ml bottles), skincare, make up. A bit of a rip-off considering they are samples which should be provided for free BUT:

a) I'd rather pay £2 for a generous 4g sample-size tube of mascara (which is what I did) rather than have to wheedle and beg a snobby sales assistant to hand one over.

b) I doubt that, even if I did beg and plead, I would be able to get a mascara sample unless it was posted to my doorstep by PR for review as make up counter SA's make it seem like sample pots of foundation are a hugest deal already.


Hope that was useful :)

I'm planning to delve into the world of BB (Blemish Balm) creams which seem to be the new hot thing in Asia. Have you heard anything about them or used them yourself? I must admit that I first heard about them in Ingrid's youtube videos!

Love,
Geisha
xoxo