Laneige Neo Cushions: Glow + Matte 8Hr Try-On and Review! (23N)

So much hype around these irresistibly-gorgeous new Airpod-like LANEIGE Neo Cushion foundations (designed by famed ex-Samsung creative director Yeongkyu Yoo) - but do they live up to it?

I'm - spoiler - happy to report that I do like both the Neo Cushion Glow and Neo Cushion Matte (S$62 for a case and 2 refills), and find them to be a significant upgrade from the original BB Cushion Whitening and BB Cushion Pore Control cushions.

Neo Cushion Glow for Dull/Dehydrated Skins (Neo Pink case) 

Neo Cushion Glow is a medium-coverage, niacinamide-containing hydrating cushion with a soft glow created by special light-reflective micropigments (not grease), SPF50+ PA+++. The formula is meant to resist oxidation, and I got feedback from a couple of viewers who said they had to buy theirs one shade deeper in the new formula because of this.

I did not find this to be great for touch-ups or layering if you've already powdered to set, as the moisture in the formula has a tendency to make the powdered layers cake up and lift off the skin, thereby removing some coverage even as you try to touch up. 

Otherwise, this lasted surprisingly well and looks fresh and beautiful on normal/dry combi skin, even in humid Singapore, wearing a mask out in the afternoon.

Maybelline Super Stay "Rogue Reds" Matte Ink Edition: Brick Mask-Proof Lipstick Swatches

Very quick post just to share swatches of the Maybelline Rogue Reds color expansion for their Super Stay Matte Ink line, in case any of you were looking for color-comparisons now that there are no swatch testers in store.

Brick is not only perfect for Fall 2020, but great year-round as well. The combination of reds and browns makes it more forgiving than bright red, and not as dull as brown. But this collection isn't just red-brown. There are some interesting burnt peach, burnt orange and sun-dried tomato tones as well, like 300, 285 and 315.

315 Extraordinary, the soft tomato red, is a particular fave of mine as it looks a little (a lot) like Armani's very pricey Lip Maestro in 405.

Maybelline Super Stay Matte Ink 315 an Armani Maestro 405 dupe? Not 100% but very close!

Meet Audioblocks - the worst license-free music site for content creators

To any budding content creators looking to find a subscription for license-free music to use in your projects, AVOID Audioblocks.

Speaking as someone who used an Audioblocks subscription for a couple of years, first for license-free images on Storyblocks, and then later for sound effects, and eventually music that I intended to use for my videos when I started creating content on Youtube.

First off, the subscription is pretty misleading. You get "access" to a large library of music files but you're not actually cleared to use the files without paying for a separate "indemnity license" which I only learnt about almost a year after I started Youtube. Very sneaky. I was getting non-stop copyright claim after copyright claim, and demonetization notices, months after I put videos up.

What's In My Bag! Plus a quick overview of two long-time staple bags...

A bit of a non-beauty side note... I do love me some designer bags, but I'm not the type to keep buying and collecting year after year. It's been five years since my last purchase, and I tend to research and think about each bag for months before taking the plunge. That's because I expect them to last me for decades without going out of style.

So I tend not to go for flashy fancy trend designs that go out of fashion quickly. And I kinda steer away from bags that are too common in my circles. (Cue visuals of the Chanel Boy Bag which was on every other influencer's arm the past few years.) I will opt for interesting colors but mainly in classic shapes, like the Saint Laurent Y Cabas in a luxurious pale beige, and a Balenciaga A4 Papier medium tote because I love the biker grunge elements, but find the City bag waaaaay too common.

HERA Eye Shadow Duo AD

In response to the recent market trend of moving away from clunky wasteful palettes, HERA has launched their new Eye Shadow Duo AD line (S$48 in 12 variations). The nifty little double-shade compacts come with coordinated colors and one larger pan, a smart move since most people tend to apply more of the base color and run out of it faster. The formula has also been updated to be creamier and less powdery, to reduce fall-out.

Bronze and burnt eyeshadow tones are big for F/W 2020 so one of the duos I have here is a Satin duo in shade 05. This is a rich flattering color that's easy for most skin tones to pull off. The color contrast between the two shades is not big though, so you pretty much just get a super-subtle gradient when using the deeper tone to contour or define the lashes.

HERA Eye Shadow Duo AD Satin 05

 The second duo I have is a Sparkle one, in a soft rosy tone, 09. The larger base shade is a translucent ivory sparkle in that semi-creamy formula similar to Tom Ford's, which can be applied easily using a finger. The accompanying soft rose shade is a more pigmented metallic with a fine-grained sparkle effect.

ZA Summer 2020 White Protector and Coming Journey Collections

ZA Coming Journey Lipsticks (Limited Edition)

Cosmetic giant Shiseido's drugstore line ZA is best known for its popular foundation and brow products. This year though, they've expanded the True White Protector primer line to include color correcting versions as well as a color-correcting finishing powder.

ZA True White Protector range

Priced at S$15.90 per 35g tube (about 1.2oz), the primer range is formulated with Hyaluronic Acid and vitamins C and E for smoothing antioxidant protection, so they are multi-tasking moisturizers, sunscreens and color correcting primers in one. I do have to say these were more pigmented than I expected as I'm used to tinted or "tone up" primers rubbing out to near-invisibility most of the time. 

KATE Tokyo Red Nude Rouge Swatches and Review

Click to watch the KATE Tokyo Red Nude Rouge IGTV swatch video

Here's a quick IG video showing all 8 KATE Tokyo Red Nude Rouge duos swatched to show a full gradient. Meaning you can see the full spectrum of colors achievable in each compact, depending how much of each shade you use.

You obviously aren’t supposed to wear them the way I did. You can wear them ombre or 3D style, or just mix for a single solid color. The point is to wear them as vibrant or soft as you want, depending on the look and occasion. Also, each duo comes with a little sponge applicator but I find it much quicker with a clean finger, and you also won't contaminate each color by transferring the other onto it with a stained applicator.

I Try e-Girl Makeup! Feat. NEW NARS "Orgasm X" Cheek Palette and Orgasm ...

This isn't technically a review, but you can see how NARS's new Orgasm X blush builds and blends, and how it differs from original Orgasm blush. This goes on pretty soft and sheer for how intense it looks in the pan, but it definitely layers, and using a firmer, denser brush also deposits much more color than the soft Les Merveilleuses LADUREE one I used.

(Full products listed in the Youtube description box.)

To be 100% fair, it's not a huge difference between the two once they are on, and if you own the original and love it already, you probably won't need or want Orgasm X.

iHope KANEBO 2020 Luxury Makeup Revamp (plus Swatches)

KANEBO Eye Color Duos 2020

Japanese luxury line Kanebo has revamped their entire makeup line this year, and did a complete 180 from conservative “OL” (office lady) aesthetic to something completely fresh and vibrant.

Besides including funky mixers and pop shades in their buttery N-rouge lipstick line to let you tweak and create completely unique shades yourself, they’ve also added interesting multipurpose creams called Drawing Dual Rouges and Drawing Dual Pens that promise to be usable on eyes, cheeks, lips, anywhere you like. Even the eye palette is a small custom compact into which you can slot up to 3 mini duos. We are basically free to experiment with colors and textures and it's all done with maximum portability, minimum weight and fuss.

Considering lipsticks cost about S$60 a pop and the tiny eyeshadow duos are S$35 in Singapore, it’s not easy to explore the line if you’re shopping online during the current pandemic, so here are all the color products (aside from the 3 basic monotone Drawing Pencils) swatched for your reference!