REVIEW: MAC The Matte Lip 2015 Lipsticks – Whirl, Persistence, Stone, Antique Velvet, D For Danger, Instigator & Matte Royal

Hey fellow beautyholics!

I haven’t been blogging much about beauty lately because I’ve been swamped with work and other commitments that makes sitting in front of the camera for more than 2 hours seem impossible. Ever since getting shortlisted as a finalist in this year’s Singapore Blog Awards, my schedule has been packed with events after events as I hope to get the latest scoop on some of the latest beauty products so that I can introduce them to you guys! I will be covering what I’ve tried in more detail soon, but first…

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The Matte Lip (don’t you just love the colours of the petals? So sweet and feminine!)

It’s time to review a new set of MAC lipsticks from The Matte Lip collection! Like, finally some Mattes after all the stupid Lustres. As you may already know, this collection debuted last year with just 8 stunning new shades. But this year, the cosmetic giant decided that it should make a huge comeback by expanding its offering of this “classic suede-like finish with 12 new (and repromoted) shades of Matte and Retro Matte Lipstick” on top of 8 other existing Matte shades (some were previously not available in Singapore stores) that will also be included in this collection. Holy moly, great news for me but definitely not my wallet. Being the extreme Matte enthusiast I am, I carted out a record-breaking 7 lipsticks (it was a real challenge to choose) at once on the day of release, thereby starving myself for the subsequent month because I was so, so broke 😥

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The lipsticks featured in this collection are Runway Hit, Kinda Sexy, Steady Going, Please Me, Naturally Transformed (new), Velvet Teddy, Men Love Mystery (new), Pink Pigeon, Tropic Tonic (new), Flat Out Fabulous, All Fired Up, D For Danger (new), Stone (new), Whirl (new), Persistence (new), Dangerous (repromote), Ruby Woo, Heroine, Studded Kiss (repromote), Antique Velvet (new), Instigator (repromote) and Matte Royal (new).

All 22 of them are said to be permanent but I don’t know how true this is because I cannot seem to find those that were released last year on the website anymore. And speaking about the website, it recently underwent an overhaul and now it looks terribly user-unfriendly and difficult to navigate. I would need some time to get accustomed to this new design so no screen grabs of official swatches for now.

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Overview

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My swatches for The Matte Lip.. 7 of them

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Packaging

In general, the colours are gorgeous and one-of-a-kind. My only gripe is the appearance of the bullets. Nearly all of them came with slightly melted sides or clusters of significantly large (gross-looking) white bumps or spots which I thought were mould at first but are apparently what chemists call “wax bloom” – a term to describe the excretion of oils on to the surface of a lipstick caused by a change of storage temperature. It is perfectly harmless but can look quite repulsive at first glance. I’ve had “sweating” lipsticks from my past MAC purchases but never one with wax bloom, which makes me wonder if other lipsticks from the same batch share the same condition. Therefore, it’s advisable that you check the bullet at the MAC store before purchase (that is, if these imperfections put you off).

#1 Whirl

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Whirl is a dirty rose with Matte finish (US$16)

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Wax bloom on Whirl

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Whirl

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Whirl

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Whirl

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Whirl

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Whirl

This shade is no stranger to those who have been following the makeup trend sparked by Kylie Jenner, who lined her lips with Whirl (lip liner) to achieve her signature pout (and let’s just ignore the fact that she did lip fillers for a second, alright? 😀 ). It used to be a lip liner-exclusive shade and I’m so glad it’s now made into a lipstick too! It unfortunately accentuates my lip lines a little but it’s forgivable because it’s such a lovely neutral! 🙂 But the last time I checked, Whirl was temporarily out of stock on the website. I’m sure it’s gonna be one of the first few to sell out when it’s launched in stores so make sure you’re fast enough!

#2 Persistence

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Persistence is a peachy cinnamon with Matte finish (US$16)

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Persistence

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Persistence

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Persistence

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Persistence

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Persistence

The nudes in this collection are seriously doing very well! Persistence is another favourite of mine from this release. It’s slightly darker than Whirl and has great coverage and consistency which applies like a dream. It’s quite long-lasting too; I wore this out once and it lasted for more than four hours!

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Swatch comparison for Whirl and Persistence

#3 Stone

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Stone is a muted greyish taupe brown with Matte finish (US$16)

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Get what I mean? :\

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Stone

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Stone

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Stone

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Stone

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Stone

If you fancy dirty colours, this would interest you! It’s a very unique shade – kinda reminded me of Styled in Sepia because of its rust-like colour – but somehow it makes me look 10 years older (still worth experimenting though). Stone isn’t entirely opaque, I feel, but like the first two neutrals, it’s very creamy and slightly emollient. Take a break from your usual neutrals and try this for a change! 🙂 This is another popular shade that is not available on the website at the moment.

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Swatch comparison for Stone

#4 Antique Velvet

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Antique Velvet is an intense brown with Matte finish (US$16)

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Melted spot

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Antique Velvet

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Antique Velvet

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Antique Velvet

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Antique Velvet

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Antique Velvet

As the name suggests, it exudes some kind of a rustic charm and is very velvety, making application a breeze. It has a subtle sheen to it and very evidently, not very drying on the lips at all. It is very opaque and has great coverage, giving my lips a fuller look.

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Swatch comparison for Antique Velvet

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Swatch comparison for Antique Velvet – Film Noir comes close

#5 Instigator

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Instigator is a deep blackened plum with Matte finish (US$16)

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Melted spot

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Instigator

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Instigator

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Instigator

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Instigator

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Instigator

This Matte shade looks more like a Satin to me. Smooth but with fairly good coverage, it leaves an uneven finish on my lips. Still, it’s has great colour payoff and this kind of deep plum shade is absolutely alluring, don’t you think? The tiny hint of sheen also makes the lips look hydrated. Instigator was first introduced in Winter 2013 as part of the Punk Couture collection.

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Comparison swatch for Instigator

#6 D For Danger

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D For Danger is a brick red with Matte finish (US$16)

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D For Danger

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D For Danger

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D For Danger

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D For Danger

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D For Danger

My camera couldn’t quite capture the true colour of this shade but trust me, it’s not the usual boring red I had always lamented about in my other reviews. This is a berry red! And it’s so pretty. I have absolutely no complaints about this shade. It has light consistency and good pigmentation, and it wears long and comfortably on my lips. This is the red lipstick to get from this collection.

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Swatch comparison for D For Danger

#7 Matte Royal

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Matte Royal is a deep blue with Matte finish (US$16)

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Wax everywhere

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Matte Royal

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Matte Royal

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Matte Royal

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Matte Royal

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Matte Royal

I tried to be more adventurous in my choices and went for something more unconventional (although I most likely wouldn’t be wearing it out because I’d get stared down for putting on such a weird and funky colour). Matte Royal, however, doesn’t apply evenly although it has a relatively creamy texture. It took me a few layers to fully conceal some parts of my lips. It also came out rather streaky on me so all in all, this doesn’t live up to my expectations. It is temporarily sold out on the website though 😕

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Swatch comparison for Matte Royal

And that’s all from me! I contemplated buying a few more shades from this collection (Tropic Tonic and Studded Kiss are on my list) until I read about the release date for the upcoming Giambattista Valli collection (it’s in early July, by the way!). The lipsticks will cost a fortune for sure, since it’s, you know, designer pieces?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! 🙂

 

Thanks for reading ❤

The Matte Lip (2015) is now available on MACCosmetics.com and will be on sale at Singapore outlets from 31 July 2015 (subjected to change).

REVIEW: MAC Wash and Dry Lipsticks and Lipglass – Steam Heat, Tumble Dry & Domestic Diva

Hey everyone!

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MAC Wash and Dry for Summer 2015

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Is that you, Cara Delevingne??

I’ve been splurging a lot on lipsticks recently, no thanks to MAC’s incessant release of new collections. And I admit that it has gotten more out of hand due to the stunning packaging MAC has come up with lately. Like many girls, I have a soft spot for nice packaging so it’s extremely easy to strike my fancy when it comes to makeup. A differently-designed packaging (from the regular) is all it takes to make me go gaga over the product. But it’s a very expensive obsession because the more elaborate the wrapping material it is, the deeper I would have to dig into my pocket. And this is driving me closer and closer to bankruptcy!

*sigh* And just when I’m about to give my wallet a break, MAC had to launch the most vibrant-looking limited-edition lipsticks ever.

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MAC Wash and Dry: AREN’T THEY GORGEOUS?

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Gotta get something from this collection!

Many of my friends who aren’t as crazy as me about makeup were also blown away by the striking packaging. The yellow, orange and turquoise ombré is just so apt for the summer. I also love that it’s made of reflective material, making the product look really sleek and expensive in general (when it’s only US$20 per lipstick!).

But unfortunately, not all of the lipstick shades are brand new here. In fact, 2 of them are already in the permanent range. Despite the repeats and marked up price, I know some diehard MAC fans would still be very eager to purchase them because of the packaging.

Besides lipsticks and lipglass, this collection also boasts a wide array of products such as the Wash and Dry Veluxe Pearlfusion Shadow Trio (in 3 colour options – Warm Wash, Permanent Press & Green Clean), Technakohl Liner (in Colour Matters, Sudsy, Coin Operated & Practice Makes Perfect), False Lashes Waterproof (in Stay Black!), Powder Blush (in Crisp Whites & Hipness), Highlight Powder (in Freshen Up) and Studio Nail Lacquer (in Monday Blues & Washeteria). Click here for more details.

That’s not all. Fluid Brow Gelcreme (in Ash Blonde, Redhead, Dirty Blonde, True Brunette & Deep Dark Brunette), Eye Brow pencils (in Delineated, Accentuated, Tapered & Stylized), Brow Set (in Clear), Pro Longwear Waterproof Brow Set (in Emphatically Blonde, Toasted Blonde, Red Chestnut, Quiet Brunette, Bold Brunette & Brown Ebony), Bronzing Powder (in Refined Golden & Matte Bronze), Studio Sculpt Defining Bronzing Powder (in Delicates & Golden Rinse), Face Brushes (125 & 126) and makeup bag are available under The Modern Brow collection.

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Out of the four lipstick shades in this collection, 2 are already permanent.

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2 new shades are introduced in this collection – Tumble Dry and Steam Heat

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Official swatch for lipsticks

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Real-life swatch (my Creme d’Nude and Morange are in old/regular packaging)

Tumble Dry

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Tumble Dry is a light peachy coral with Lustre finish (US$20)

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Tumble Dry

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Tumble Dry

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Tumble Dry

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Tumble Dry

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Tumble Dry

Call me a natural actor but I’m amazed how I could still smile so warmly wearing this shade despite not liking it at all. I think the reason is quite obvious from the pictures. It leaves unsightly clumps on the driest part of my lower lips and the colour totally disappears upon application. It’s so bad, it reminded me of my rant on Highlights. Actually, come to think of it now, they do look quite similar.

I had rather high expectations for this since none of my corals have failed me (as far as I can remember). Plus, the finish isn’t stated for all the lipsticks on the website so I didn’t know it was Lustre until I received the items (thus adding to my dissatisfaction with this purchase).

Essentially, this has a pretty bullet but disappointing payoff. What a shame! I wouldn’t recommend buying this shade at all.

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Tumble Dry swatch comparison

Steam Heat

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Steam Heat is a vivid yellow red with Satin finish (US$20)

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Steam Heat

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Steam Heat

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Steam Heat

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Steam Heat

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Steam Heat

This is easily one of the dupe-able reds by MAC but leaving that aside, I find that it has fantastic consistency and pigmentation which allowed me to line my lips with it perfectly. It has a Satin finish so it’s not too matte nor shiny – just fabulous. Its smooth and velvety texture leaves a long-lasting opaque coverage over the lips and most importantly, it doesn’t feather nor dry out my lips over time. With its great payoff and lovely packaging, this definitely scores high point on my lipstick coolometer – just a few points shy of hitting maximum due to it’s not-so-novel colour.

Steam Heat swatch comparison

Steam Heat swatch comparison

Normally after carting out my desired lipstick shades I would have exited the page and resumed my previous activity. But somehow that didn’t happen on that day of launch. I wandered off to another place within the same webpage and unwittingly bought a lipglass… when I’m not the sort of person who wears lip gloss. Darn, it must be the packaging, silently hynotising me and making me spend more. Never mind, that’s when Carousell comes in handy, right?

Domestic Diva

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Domestic Diva is a frosty, watery pink. (US$16.50)

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Official swatch for the Wash and Dry Tinted Lipglass

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Domestic Diva Lipglass

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Domestic Diva Lipglass

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Domestic Diva Lipglass

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Domestic Diva Lipglass

Okay, this is weird but… I actually liked it?

I hated lip gloss because it’d always leaves a really thin uneven layer on my lips regardless of the amount I apply and it wears off quicker than anything else. I disliked the hassle of reapplying and I came to a point where I stopped applying lip gloss altogether. But this is gonna reverse my decision. Can you see the (relatively) thick layer of gloss on my lips and the evenly spread-out glitter? That was achieved with just a SINGLE layer. And the gloss actually felt pretty adhesive! Look, it even gave me pouty lips!

Now I don’t know if I should keep this :\

What are your thoughts about this collection?

 

Let me know your views in the comments below! 🙂

Thanks for reading!

MAC Wash & Dry is now available on MACCosmetics.com and in local MAC stores for a limited time only.

PREVIEW: Luxola x Alcina Launch in Singapore

MEDIA INVITE

Hey ladies!

Singapore-based online beauty store Luxola is no stranger to many beauty fanatics here. Since it first started in 2011, it has brought countless popular and niche beauty brands from all over the world to the Singapore e-market. Some examples are Sigma Beauty (I was eyeing on their brushes for the longest time), Real Techniques, Sleek MakeUP, Wet n Wild and 3CE which, as far as I know, are not available in any brick and mortar stores. This, no doubt, saves us shoppers a lot of shipping and agent fees because with Luxola, we don’t really need to purchase products by the aforementioned brands overseas anymore! 🙂 (Hmm.. perhaps they should consider bringing Lorac over as well?)

A few days ago, I received an invitation to attend a beauty cafe (or simply put, a pre-launch event with lotsa awesome food) for Luxola’s latest brand partner Alcina. Alcina is a makeup and skincare brand from Bielefeld, Germany. It was established around mid 20th century (If I’m not wrong it was somewhere in the 1970s) aimed to provide skin care for all ages. Prior to its existence here, this brand was pretty much targeted at some parts of Europe, having garnered a huge following in Germany and Russia especially. The launch here marks Alcina’s first step to going global and Singapore is in fact the very first Asian country chosen to stock the brand. *honoured* The products will go live on luxola.com on 11 May 2015.

(Please allow me to interrupt this post with some mouth-watering pictures of the irresistible hors d’oeuvres I had at Club Street Social where the event was held. Sorry, just couldn’t resist!)

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The fruit carving on the right is madness!

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At the event, we had makeup artist Frouka from Germany demonstrate how she did her makeup with Alcina products and I also had the opportunity to test out and swatch some of them.

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Here’s a sneak peek at some Alcina products that will be debuting on Luxola later, beginning with the products from their skincare range. Descriptions are lifted from Alcina.com.

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The premium cleansing foam of the Alcina Cleansing Mousse Nº1 stands for ultimate indulgence and with its mild tenside system and moisturising complexes it ensures deep-down, thorough facial cleansing which is nevertheless gentle. The foamy, creamy cleansing mousse also nourishes your facial skin as part of your daily cleansing ritual.

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Cleansing Mousse N°1 – Premium foam for gentle yet thorough cleansing

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Hyaluron Gel 2.0 for a firmer complexion. This helps to fill out small wrinkles by giving the skin moisture for combating fine lines, leaving the skin looking significantly more vital and smooth.

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Nourishing Capsules with natural ceramides, vitamins A and E and jojoba oil help the skin to store oil and moisture more effectively. They strengthen the skin’s barrier for silky smooth skin straightaway. The light, oily concentrate of these energy-rich capsules leaves damaged skin feeling wonderfully smooth without a greasy sheen.

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Nourishing Capsules provide facial care for a silky smooth skin sensation. To use this, simply twist or cut off the neck of the capsule and press out the oil and apply on cleansed facial skin.

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Facial Cream N°1 is a moisturising cream which provides intensive care to dry facial skin, relieves any uncomfortable sense of tautness and restores the skin’s elasticity and fresh look. Thanks to the carefully combined ingredients in Facial Cream N°1, including urea and the essential amino acid arginine, the skin is nourished and provided with long-lasting moisture. For beautiful-looking, pampered and relaxed skin – 24 hours a day.

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Eye Cream N°1 provides optimal protection for the skin against harmful environmental factors and ensures beautifully bright eyes. This eye cream increases the skin’s moisture content and reduces fine lines and small wrinkles around the eyes. If used regularly, Alcina Eye Cream N°1 helps to prevent the formation of wrinkles and skin aging caused by light.

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Eye Cream N°1 has a tip for easy application. Use this to increase the skin’s moisture content.

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The Alcina Eye and Lip Cream boasts a dual function: it makes the skin around the eyes smoother and also ensures beautiful lips. The linoleic acid in this cream moisturises the extremely dry eye and lip areas. The rich cream can reduce new wrinkles around the eyes and gently soothe lip wrinkles, both caused by dryness, and make stressed lips soft and smooth again.

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Lip and Eye Cream

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The Alcina Day & Night Facial Fluid with allantoin, liquorice and bisabolol balances out excess sebum production on the face and stabilises moisture levels. If used regularly the Alcina Day & Night Facial Fluid ensures a matt and balanced complexion.

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The Alcina Herbal Mask helps to clear impure skin. The combination of the active ingredients kaolin, sage and lavender oil ensures that excess sebum is absorbed and that the facial pores are visibly reduced.

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Herbal Mask: The colour does look very “herbal” to me!

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SOS Stick has an antibacterial effect which dries out spots and impurities more quickly. It’s so small and portable, great for combating pimples before you go for an event!

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SOS Stick comes with a roller ball. I’m planning to get this when it goes live later!

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AHA Facial Fluid 10% nourishes and smoothes stressed skin and is particularly ideal for mature skin subject to natural or light-induced skin aging.

Let me just say that most of the skincare products above smell REALLY good. But fret not, these products are fragrance-free and non-toxic so it’s perfectly safe to apply on your skin.

Moving on to their makeup products. Alcina specialises in skincare products but they believe that makeup can be used to enhance and develop one’s own style of beauty. Thus, that propelled them to launch a makeup line as well!

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Alcina Perfect Cover Make-up offers long-lasting coverage to give your skin a flawless look and semi-matt finish. The soft texture gives it an ultralight and comfortable feel when applied. It provides full coverage for pigmented spots, redness, impurities or an uneven complexion to achieve a perfect finish.

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Alcina Perfect Cover Make-up Swatch! These are the 3 chosen shades (there’s also a Dark shade but it’s not available on Luxola) for the Singapore consumers.

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Silky Matt Make-up leaves your skin feeling silky-smooth. The skin’s pores appear smaller and a powdery light, matt finish is achieved all day long thanks to the light and equalising coverage. Also comes in Medium shade (not in picture).

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Cover Coat Concealer hides shadows under the eyes to give a wide-awake and fresh appearance. The pleasant texture makes minor skin imperfections, pores and lines less visible thanks to its seamless coverage which can be increased as necessary.

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Cover Coat Concealer only comes in light and medium shades.

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Cover Coat Concealer swatch

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Matt Sensation Powder is an innovative wet & dry powder which gives your skin a matt and naturally beautiful complexion which lasts all day long. The novel powder technology leaves the skin feeling wonderfully soft and also fixes your make-up perfectly in place. Apply using a moist sponge, can also be used as a powder. Perfect for minor make-up corrections. Only available in Light and Medium.

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Matt Sensation Powder swatch (hope it’s visible on your end!)

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Sun Kiss Powder gives your skin a summer glow. Light-reflecting shimmering pigments make your skin look fresher, smoother and altogether flawless. As if kissed by the sun. In layman’s term, this is a bronzer. Hehe.

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Sun Kiss Powder swatch! Three different shades in one 🙂 How value-for-money.

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The standard packaging for most of the make-up (powder) products.

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Brilliant Blush adds gentle contours to your face and gives you a fresher-looking complexion straightaway. The multi-shade powder impresses thanks to optimal shade brilliance and creates vivid highlights, from delicate through to intensive. Advanced micropigments guarantee a radiant finish. Comes in two shades.

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Brilliant Blush in Triple Rose 010

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Brilliant Blush in Triple Peach 020

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Perfect Eyebrow Powder intensifies the colour of your eyebrows and makes them appear thicker. The quick and easy way to the perfect eyebrow shape for a finish ranging from natural to striking. Great hold and can be simply and professionally applied using the oblique brush. Comes in Lightbrown and Greybrown.

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Perfect Eyebrow Powder swatch

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Wanna make a guess what these are?

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Pretty eye shadow! The bronze (foreground) is so captivating *_*

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Miracle Eye Shadow adds fascinating colour brilliance to your eyelids for a sensational colour result. This smooth and luxurious eye shadow with its innovative texture is particularly rich in colour pigments and guarantees a perfect hold. It can be used both wet and dry for an individual look – from subtle to expressive. It combines the very best of baked, powder and cream eye shadows. Comes in 6 amazing shades!

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Miracle Eye Shadow swatch. Missing Mocca 070 here.

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Wonder Volume Mascara gives your eyelashes maximum volume, a thicker eyelash base and stunning length. The exceptional microbrush coats and shapes every single lash. For seductive and voluminous eyelashes.

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(My favourite part of the event) Luxola launches two types of Alcina lipsticksShiny and Intense. This picture does not (obviously) show the full collection.

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There will be 8 Intense Lipsticks and 7 Shiny Lipsticks. Intense lipsticks leaves an intensely rich and perfectly opaque colour while Shiny gives a seductive shine.

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What were available at the talk! Scarlet is the only Shiny lipstick here.

The lipsticks (both types) don’t really provide full, opaque coverage as you can see from the swatch above.

In general, the products felt amazing and high-end. Most importantly, the prices would be relatively affordable.

I didn’t get to really try most of these products so I can’t do a proper review for each of them (that’d be crazy I know but yes, I love pushing boundaries!). But I got to take home some of the products featured above 🙂 Shall do a quick review on those that I’ve used.

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Shiny Lipstick in Scarlet 010

I love the lipstick! It has a very nice sheen (though I don’t really find it seductive haha) and it feels really emollient! It gives off a nice stain effect and glides on really smoothly on my lips. It’s slightly sheer and not really pigmented so you’d need to apply multiple times for the colour to really show.

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I like how the Sun Kiss Powder has three different shades in it! They blend to form a really nice gradual tan.

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Sun Kiss Powder comes with a brush!

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With Sun Kiss Powder and Shiny Lipstick in Scarlet on

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Lips close-up

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Contoured my face with Sun Kiss Powder. Turns out great!

And that’s all from me! How do you find the products? Do you use Alcina if it’s available in your country? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below 🙂

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Thanks for having me Luxola!

And thanks for reading! 🙂 Stay tuned for more posts coming up!

Alcina will be launched on Luxola.com on 11 May 2015.