REVIEW: Tarte Pin Up Girl Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush Palette

Hey ladies! *waves*

I am finally back from my birthday staycation and am all set to blog again! And as mentioned on my previous post, I’ll be talking about a new blush palette that was launched not too long ago. Yup, it’s the latest blush palette by Tarte!

I’m a HUGE fan of Tarte’s Amazonian Clay 12-hour blush line. I own at least 4 (kinda lost count, haha) different blush from that series because I really love how the colour turn out so naturally on my cheeks. However, as much as I love collecting their powder blushes, being a student meant that I wouldn’t be able to afford all 12 (the last time I counted the number of blush under Tarte at Sephora) of them. Furthermore, one Tarte blush can burn a friggin’ huge hole in my pocket because each costs S$45!!! That’s equivalent to one Urban Decay Basics palette 😥

So imagine my excitement when I read about the launch of the new 5-in-1 blush palette by Tarte! And it only costs S$59! WHOOP.

Yeah, the pan for each blush is definitely smaller but who uses up all their makeup anyway? Hehe.

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So princess-y!

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It looks like a normal clutch ’til you open it…

Oh by the way, those two vertical stuff are actually hair pins which can be detached from the case! Yay me now haz free hair pins!! So, is that why this blush palette is called Pin Up Girl? 😀

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Press down the “Tarte” button to unveil the blush!

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Deng deng deng deng!!

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Closeup: Presenting to you FIVE limited edition shades!

There’s a layer of transparent sheet indicating the name of each blush on top of them, in case you can’t really tell. If you lose that sheet, the only way to know their names is by scrutinising the fine print behind the case.

Also, please pardon the over-exposure in some pictures because the natural lighting at 2pm was obviously too harsh for photo-taking!

Let’s now swatch them all! Sorry no “modelled” pictures for this because I had my foundation on and I didn’t want to keep reapplying it after wearing each of them 😯

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Breathless is a pinky beige.

Breathless is probably the most faint among the five because my finger had to go over the pan many times before the colour showed up. It’s a pretty matte shade, ideal for people with slightly oily complexion! But I doubt it can be seen very well on your face since it’s skin-colour.

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Embraced is a plummy rose.

This metallic shade is slightly shimmery but it’s still on the matte side. It’s definitely one of the nicer shades from this palette 🙂

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Whimsy is a light pink.

I felt Whimsy was very powdery and matte. A lot of product came out with just one swipe so be really careful not to overdo your blush if you’re opting for this shade! This works well for people with really fair skin I think because I cannot imagine my cheeks with this cool toned pink. 😦

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Bashful is a rosy peach.

This is going to be one of my go-to shades from this palette because I love blush with warm undertone, just like the existing Tarte blushes I own (Achiote and Blissful). Bashful is very pigmented and I feel that this works best on Asian skin tone 🙂

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Irreplaceable is a mauve rose.

The darkest shade in the palette, this reminded me of Natural Beauty which has the same medium-dark pink tone. I wore this for my UD Full Frontal Lipstick Stash review and I remember how dark it (with just one dab on the pan, mind you) appeared on my cheeks the first time I wore it. I could see the outline of the blush and it was still apparent no matter how hard I try to blend it out. I panicked for a moment as I was heading out after that and I couldn’t possibly step out of the house looking like an Chinese opera singer. But thankfully I managed to resolve it in the end.

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With Irreplaceable on though you can’t really see it since I had already blended it out.

Tip: To soften the blush on your cheeks (make it appear less harsh), blend it out with your foundation (or unused) brush.

Once again, this amazing limited edition palette is only S$59! And that does not include discounts like your UOB Visa rebates and relevant Sephora discounts. I only paid about S$51 after all the deductions. Hehe.

Ladies, which is your favourite shade? 😀

Stay tuned for more reviews!

REVIEW: Urban Decay Full Frontal Lipstick Stash

Hey ladies!

I’m on an Urban Decay rampage as you can see, so please pardon me! But I guess with pretty pictures (of the swatches, not of me of course 😀 ) in place, no one would make a fuss right? That’s unless you’re not a lipstick fan but fret not, I have a blush review coming up!

So Sephora finally launched my long-awaited Urban Decay Full Frontal Lipstick Stash last week! I’ve been yearning so darn long for it and I thought they were not going to release it in Singapore but I guess many people had been requesting for it on their Facebook page so they decided to bring it over anyway! I was so stoked!

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The packaging

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The shades + proof of authenticity!

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6 miniature Urban Decay lipsticks!

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4 are new shades while the other 2 (Liar & F-Bomb) are from the permanent series!

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About 3/4 of a full-size Revolution Lipstick – great for travels!

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From left: Ladyflower, Crush, Gash, Illicit, Liar, F-Bomb

The bullet is so tiny (about 2 cm) and cute, and it’s probably the perfect size for me because I can hardly finish a lipstick.

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Also comes with Urban Decay’s best selling clear-shade lip pencil, Ozone!

The lip pencil is one amazing tool to hold your colour in place! I lined my lips with Ozone before I put on the first lipstick from the stash and it really appeared neater than the rest (which I failed to line because I was tight on time). At the same time, it also evidently prevented feathering because the lipstick didn’t bleed out despite sweat dripping down from my cupid’s bow. On top of that, Urban Decay claims that the pencil fixes mistakes which I failed to experiment because I only read about it after I’m done with the photo-taking. Haha, maybe next time!

Plus, I really appreciate that it’s clear-shade because the downside of coloured lip liners are that they stay (which ironically is one attribute I seek in all lip products). After a few hours on days I pig out, the lipstick that filled the lips would wear off, leaving behind an unsightly line around the lips. And then I’d be force to touch up my lipstick every now and then :\ So thank God for Ozone, I think I have found a better alternative!

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Full swatch. Layered Ozone multiple times but it’s still pretty invisible! What is your favourite shade from this stash?

As you can see, this collection offers a variety of shades from sheer to light to dark and vivid colours to cater to different moods and occasions. The lipsticks are all very pigmented and bold (with the exception of Illicit and nude-shade Liar). Their creamy texture glides on smoothly in one application.

Now, let’s do an individual review for every lipstick!

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Ladyflower is a bright rose-pink shade.

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OK my face looks friggin’ puffy in this post because I binged a lot the past few days. Gotta get back to shape!

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Ladyflower looks like the perfect pink shade on my hand but when applied on my lips, it appears differently and seems to be more on the purple side.

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Crush is a hot pink shade. (whoops sorry for the poor quality!)

Crush is the ultimate hot pink, I tell ya. Just look at the bullet. It has this gold sheen in it which makes people want to reach out for it the first thing they uncap all the lipsticks in this stash. But strangely, there isn’t any sheen when applied! I wish it did though. I bet it’d look super gorgeous.

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No sheen no sheen! Just a flat colour 😦

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But it actually looks quite nice! Me likey.

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Here’s a comparison swatch against other similar shades from the regular-size Revolution Lipstick collection! Anarchy is really close, just a little darker than Crush.

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Gash is a deep red with tonal shimmer (gah sorry for the poor quality again)

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My favourite shade from this stash! And I’m probably the only one who thinks this way because everyone seems to be raving about Crush and Ladyflower. Why not Gash? It’s so pretty with the sexy red wine colour.

If Shame is too dark for you, this should be perfect!

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Illicit is a sheer baby pink shade

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I honestly didn’t expect a sheer lipstick to be part of an Urban Decay lipstick collection since they are known for their bold and highly pigmented shades! I felt that it needed a lot of layering for the baby pink to show (otherwise it’d make no difference to my lips). Thus this is my least favourite among the 6 in the stash.

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Liar is a pinky-brown nude shade

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I’ve always wanted to get Liar but it’s always sold out at the Sephora outlet I patronise so I’m really glad that it’s included in this collection! It appears to be dark (made me elated for a moment) but when applied on my lips, it kinda blended into my natural lip colour. It also felt more matte than the rest (but still glossy nonetheless).

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Comparing against other nude shades from the Revolution Lipstick series!

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F-Bomb is a classic red shade

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I already own the full-size version of this so I know that this is the go-to red lipstick. It’s a very attractive and sultry red. Unlike MAC, this is more hydrating and it stays on the entire day even after a heavy meal (just need minimal touch up). So if you’re a red lipstick lover, this is a must-buy! Or if you wanna try it out first, perhaps you should get the Full Frontal Lipstick Stash 😀

All in all, it was money well-spent! I now have one less bulky item to bring along when I travel (and I’m definitely taking Gash with me hehe). Plus, Christmas is around the corner right? This makes the PERFECT Christmas gift for your girlfriends!

Or if you don’t believe in spending a lot of money on Christmas presents, get one for yourself! For 6 gorgeous lipsticks, you only need to pay S$60 in local Sephora stores (US$39 on Urban Decay) and the price could even be lower if you pay using your UOB Visa Card (3% rebate) on top of your 10% discount (for accumulating 250 points)!  I only had to pay S$52 in the end 😀 That’s $8 off!

Also once again, this stash is limited edition! So if you miss it, you’re probably gonna miss out on a great deal!

Haha okay enough of the aggressive promotion (because I really love the product!). That’s all for this post!

Thanks for reading ❤

REVIEW: Anna Sui Dolly Girl Lipstick in 001, 002 & 003

Hey everyone!

For a change, today’s review isn’t going to be about any MAC lipsticks, nor some new products in the market. The items I’m about to feature were launched in 2011 but even so, they weren’t widely reviewed online. They are the limited edition Anna Sui Dolly Girl lipsticks which I bought last month from Carousell because I was attracted by the cute packaging (as usual. I’m sucha packaging whore). They may already be outdated but I feel that they deserve a mention! After all it’s Anna Sui I’m talking about.. and who doesn’t love Anna Sui right?

So here’s a short lipstick review before I move on to eyeshadow (comin’ up in the next post!).

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001 (red), 002 (blue), 003 (yellow)

These Russian-dolls inspired lipsticks were actually given names! Everyone, meet Vlada (001), Sasha (002) and Natasha (003).

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Rounded lipstick bullet!

I actually bought these thinking that they were matte. You can’t really tell from the bullets, can you? But the colours are so, so gorgeous! And look at the engraving on the rounded bullets! Gosh, so cute. However the roundedness of the bullet means that it’d be difficult to line your lips with it. But it’s okay because you won’t be able to tell if it “bleeds”.

I know I’ve said this many times but I really love Anna Sui for their pretty packaging. The fact that all of their products are scented also makes them really irresistible. Apart from their cosmetics line, I’m also a fan of their perfumes. 🙂

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An overview

You can really tell from the swatches above that they are really sheer and they won’t make much difference to your lip colour. But they make great choice on days you don’t feel like wearing thick makeup. This range of lipstick gives you glossy and pinker lips – a great alternative for those who dislike lipgloss (don’t like the sticky texture) like me.

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001 Vlada, a sheer baby pink

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It looks as if I didn’t wear any lipstick at all but without the glossiness my  lips would look really dehydrated. Plus, it kinda lightens my lips a little.

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002 Sasha, a sheer light fuchsia

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This shade is quite similar to 001 but it’s slightly darker (you can’t really tell if you look at them separately). It gives a subtle hint that you’re wearing something on your lips.

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003 Natasha, a sheer light beige

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My favourite from this collection because it’s such a pretty nude colour! And I think this appears more prominently among the three lipsticks.. perhaps because my natural lip colour is more on the pink side.

A quick search online for Anna Sui Dolly Girl collection also revealed that it includes three other mascaras, each for different purposes – lengthening, volumising and curling.

As these lipsticks were bought off Carousell, I only paid less than $7 for each ($20 for all)! If I’m not wrong, each retailed for about US$27. Hehe, what a great deal! 😀

What do you think ladies?

Thanks for reading! ❤