Red Hots: Some Favorite Products This Summer

There are a few things that are relatively new to me, but that I've been completely obsessed with lately.

The first are 2 lip colors. Kevyn Aucoin's Matte Lip Color in Eternal, a beautiful rich red with a pink undertone, and Tom Ford's Lip Lacquer in Lost Cherry, an opaque bright red creme with both warm and pink undertones. I don't usually wear these together (though you can; they go beautifully together). I just don't usually buy matte lipsticks to put gloss over them. The point is enjoy that gorgeous velvet texture.

Another thing I've been loving is SK II's Stempower Cream.

I have to start off by saying that I am not the biggest fan of SK II's Facial Treatment Essence. I've used 2 full bottles before and it's a good anti-oxidant but there is almost no reason for it to cost the amount it does for yeast ferment extract when there are tons of other antioxidant lotions - and indeed, other yeast ferments - that do pretty much the same thing and not cost nearly as much.

But I felt it was time to revisit the brand and bought a jar of the Stempower Cream when I saw some on sale at Sasa last month. The jar sat in its box for awhile until last week. I had used Glamglow's new Mud to Foam cleansers and come out in red, raw rashes all over my face. There were so many tiny blisters my skin felt like sandpaper. It was sore, it was itching, and after a whole week of applying Medik8 serum to try and calm it down, it was not as raw, but still tight and bumpy and starting to peel.

I slapped on Stempower Cream for 2 nights not because I was expecting it to soothe my skin but just because I suddenly remembered I'd yet to try it, and it calmed my skin down. Pronto.

I was shocked because I hadn't even read any product copy or gone online to look at what the product claims are. I expected it to have hydrating and antioxidant properties like every other SK II cream, but I was not expecting it to soothe and calm my reactive skin so rapidly.

Another skincare line that has impressed me within a few days (albeit without the dramatic results) is Astalift's cult favorite Jelly Aquarysta and Cream.

I've loved the Light Analyzing Foundation for some time, and decided to try the skincare as well. The must-try is Jelly Aquarysta, an Astaxanthin- and ceramide-laden pre-serum skin treatment that goes on over clean skin before any toner or serum.

The product comes in a light jelly form with an accompanying spatula that you scoop out to use. It's quite an interesting jelly-to-liquid texture. And the product is actually quite fluid because in about a minute the surface of the jelly flattens and smooth back out.

If you didn't know, Astaxanthin has about 6000 times the potency of Vitamin C, 800 times that of CoQ10, and 550 times stronger than Vitamin E. That's why I always pay attention to Astaxanthin formulas in skincare.

Aside from that, the Light Analyzing Foundation has been updated and renamed to Astalift Lighting Perfection Moist Pure Liquid. It's got the same sun protection and skin protecting ingredients as the skincare, but the formula is a little smoother and easier to blend out. The original formula had great coverage, and does look great in different lights, but it can sometimes look a little too thick and be quite visible on top of the skin if it's not blended out extremely well.

But the texture of the new formula is much more to my liking. It's lighter and blends easier, but none of the coverage is sacrificed. I actually tried a sachet of foundation and liked it so much that I went right back the next day to buy a bottle.

The Light Analyzing Concealer is an interesting product I'm trying out for the first time too.

The brand only has ONE shade. And it's made with the same light reflecting technology in the foundation. What I can tell you is this works more like a solid version of light-reflecting pens a la YSL Touche Eclat. It's not a concealer that will cover hardcore blemishes unless your skin tone is an exact match. This is better as a highlighter pen, and I would stroke it on the bridge of the nose, on top of cheekbones, and to brighten hollows around the eyes after a proper concealer, just the way I would use a more liquid highlighter pen after concealer.

It's definitely an option if you're not a fan of liquid highlighting pens that melt off concealer and foundation underneath, although I would wonder if those with darker skin tones would be able to use it at all. Astalift is a Japanese brand, and at NC25, I'm using the 2nd darkest shade in the range. So it's most definitely designed for paler skin tones.

Lastly on my instant-rave list is Living Proof's Prime Style Extender Spray.
The original Prime style extender came in a squeeze tube and what it is is a styling cream that you massage into your damp hair all the way from roots to tips after washing. Then after that you apply other leave-in products and style as you normally would.

The brand's proprietary ingredient, and the second-most concentrated ingredient in this formula after water, is a molecule called OFPMA (octafluoropentyl methacrylate, if you're curious), which repels oil and dirt, but is very lightweight and does not weight hair down. Essentially it helps your style to last much longer through the day. I like to use it around my roots, especially around the fringe area, because that's the section that gets touched the most through the day when you tuck it behind your ear or move it away from your face, and then becomes limp, stringy and greasy quicker than anything else.

When I tried Prime for the first time, I was amazed that my fringe didn't get greasy for hours and hours and hours. And then when I saw they'd come out with a spray version which is even lighter for fine hair, that was a god-send for me. I have very fine hair and it has a tendency to be very limp and to feel greasy quite quickly, so I never let ANY conditioning product near my scalp. Ever. Except if I'm using a specific scalp treatment to stimulate hair growth or to prevent or treat the occasional bout of dandruff.

This though, I spritz it around the top of my head and massage in around my roots and scalp once I come out of the shower. There is zero residue, no stiffness, nothing. It dries and feels like clean, soft hair for the whole day, and oddly enough it feels like my scalp is less oily throughout the day as well. I love the mattifying and volumizing effect of hair powders, but I don't love the tacky, sticky, stiff feel. This has pretty much eliminated my need for hair powders because most of the time I just want my hair to look and feel clean.

If you live in a hot climate and you hate it when your hair gets greasy and stringy after a few hours, this is definitely one to check out.

Kevyn Aucoin Bloodroses Lip Product Swatches and Review

I've told this story several times on other social platforms, but the very first lip color I ever obsessed over as a child (I was 11) and saved up to buy was a deep dark oxblood or black cherry color.

That obsession has survived over 20 years, which is probably testament to the fact it is timeless and has never gone "out of fashion". Maybe it's the fact that this is a color which balances intense drama with a strange ability to flatter pretty much any skin tone.

I only recently discovered Kevyn Aucoin had a series of lip colors (and a cheek product actually) in the shade romantically named "Bloodroses". This is a deep dark cherry red which echoes the color of his makeup packaging.

The lip products are available in:

The Flesh Tone Lip Pencil - black cherry pencil
The Matte Lip Color - matte black cherry lipstick
The Expert Lip Color - creme dark cherry lipstick (more red-toned than the pencil and matte lipstick)
The Lip Gloss - sheer glossy tint (more brown-toned than the other products)

As you can see, the lip products are not all exactly the same color. So you should choose based on your preference.

The product I like least is probably The Lip Gloss. Simply because it's so sheer that it makes little difference. If you want to wear it on its own for a crushed brown-berry stain, you can get a similar tint just with Clinique's much cheaper Black Honey lipstick. It has a thin and light texture, so it actually feels really nice on the lips BUT I do not recommend buying this to layer with the lipsticks or liner. This sort of light, "flowy" gloss layered over lipsticks or liner will melt the product beneath and make everything look slide around. It will look uneven on the lips and sink into lines. Which is fine with more medium-toned colors, but NOT something like Bloodroses.

The other 3 products on the other hand, I love. The textures are ultra-smooth.

The Expert Lip Color goes on intensely in one swipe, and the color is gorgeous. It's probably the truest to the name "bloodroses". It's rose (cool-toned burgundy) balanced with blood (warm-toned brown red). I've seen people apply it on Youtube and it looked a bit sheer, but I was soooo happy when it went on quite color-true and quite intense for me. (Or maybe it's just that I always apply a very generous amount. I didn't see any bleeding but if you're wearing any dark creamy lipstick, it's always a good idea to wear a liner around the edges at least.

If you want a subtle "ombre" effect, you can also apply the Expert Lip Color, then run the Lip Pencil around the edges after. It's slightly darker than then lipstick so it gives a 3D look. I personally prefer applying liner all over the lips as base first and layering the lipstick over for opaque shine.

Bloodroses: The Matte Lipstick with The Flesh Tone Lip Pencil in the matching shade just around the edges

I'm most obsessed with The Matte Lip Color. This doesn't quite have a true "blood" tone. It's a cool-toned Bing cherry color with a berry undertone to it, which can help balance out yellow-toned skins and stop everything from looking too sallow. It's also much more dramatic looking and deep than the Expert Lip Color. The liner and matte lipstick are the two products that truly match each other in tone.

The texture of Kevyn Aucoin Mattes is very creamy and non-drying. But just like some of the newer MAC Mattes which are smooth and light in texture, they won't be as opaque and intense as old-school MAC mattes like Russian Red and Prince Noir, or Viva Glam I. You can't keep building and building the color. That said, it's pretty intense all on its own.

But you can always take it up a notch if you need perfect opaque coverage for a shoot, and layer the matte lipstick over a coat of the matching liner and then lightly kiss a sheet of tissue to take down the shine. That's going to give you that dramatic velvety rose-petal effect.

Kevyn Aucoin makeup is not available in Singapore, so I purchase my products from Net-a-porter.com and Fragrancex.com. FragranceX has free international shipping with purchases over $69 (enter coupon code FREE69) so it's usually where I check first, but they don't usually have stock for all shades. 

Net-a-porter.com (correction - I'm sorry I don't know why I listed Harrods!) is my second choice as they have a better selection, but you have to factor in international shipping cost.

Prices can vary depending on site, shipping rates and exchange rates, but these are definitely in the luxe range and currently cost around SGD$45-50 per tube. 

Full Coverage Camouflage Foundations: A Quick Overview and Look At My Collection

There are sheer foundations and high-coverage foundations. Then there are camouflage foundations, which are in a league of their own. These are designed to give you so much heavy-duty coverage that they function like concealers pretty much.

These are often used to cover severe acne and pigmentation, scars, and marks, and can come in 3 forms typically.

• Sticks/Solids
• Creams
• Liquids

Many of the stick foundations available (Tom Ford, Bobbi Brown, Dermablend etc) have a pretty high coverage. They are highly portable, can be buffed on with a brush for a sheerer finish, sponged on for a buildable look, or swiped on straight from the tube and built up. 

Many traditional stage-makeup brands carry this type of solid wax-based foundations, such as the Mitsuyoshi Shatana foundation which I purchased on a trip to Tokyo. These typically tend to have a slightly heavier texture on the skin because of the high wax content, and are similar in texture to solid pot concealers such as MAC Studiofinish Concealer.

Personally, I only use these as concealers because the wax makes them a bit harder and drier, and they also can be more visible sitting on top of the skin. Of course, a lot of the luxe brands now use very smooth, soft waxes so they meld into the skin better, but I still find they feel just a little heavier than I like.

The next kind are the cream types which often come in small pots, and these tend to give the highest amount of coverage you can get. Most are simply pure pigments suspended in a blend of oils and waxes, and they don't set into a solid form in the tubs, but neither will they run if you tip the tubs over. 

The most well-known is arguably Kevyn Aucoin's Sensual Skin Enhancer. The difference between these, and the wax based solid camouflage foundations is the formulas tend to hold a lot more pigment than the wax-based ones, and are multi-tasking, because they're easy to sheer out so they meld with the skin, while allowing you to really build and build coverage if you need.

These can also be thinned out with moisturizers to create sheerer cream foundations, which makes them a very versatile option. For covering minor flaws and dark circles, you need just a tiny dot, so NEVER dip a brush into these and start buffing into your face. You will look like you are wearing a mask.

However, good formulas do not come easily, and they're also not cheap.

Covermark Extra Formula (the Japanese made formula, not the Covermark those in the West might be familiar with) has a premium Extra Formula line which costs well over SGD$100 per tiny 20ml jar. That said, each jar I've purchased lasted me 2-3 years, and were only thrown out because they had oxidized too much or were just too old. 

If you can access Kevyn Aucoin, I suggest checking that out as a first-choice since the formula and function is practically identical, but the KA is about US$50 for 15ml. 

When you first see these, it's always shocking how small they are, but I'm not joking when I say each jar will last you for ages, unless you're really packing on the coverage like there's no tomorrow. 

Still, these are finicky to use. Unlike liquids, you can't really just buff it into your skin all over. They have to be spot applied and blended in properly, and most of these waxes and creams do not set, so they might not be the best for those who have extremely oily skin. So if you don't have the time, or makeup seems to slide off your skin in a few hours, then you might want to look for a liquid variant.

2 of the best formulas on the market are Estee Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover (not the regular Double Wear) Camouflage Makeup for Face and Body. Another great one is Vichy Dermablend Fluid Corrective Foundation 15 Hr.

These come in squeeze tubes and are much thinner and easier to blend then the waxes or creams mentioned earlier. They also have the added benefit of setting and locking onto the skin for hours, unlike the wax- or cream/oil-based ones which can crease (similar to waxy thick concealers) as the day goes on. They won't go on as opaque as the thicker type of camouflage foundations, but they are very buildable.

As with the previous types, I still think you would do well to see these as concealers, and use more only where needed. No matter what, high coverage makeup looks like makeup up-close.

Now there is a final one which is a cross between a cream and a liquid. Illamasqua's Rich Liquid foundation is a camouflage foundation made with a synthetic oil, so it's non pore-clogging, but has the silky skin-like consistency of an oil-based foundation. It doesn't exactly set, but enough of the oils will vaporize after application that you get a semi-matte velvet finish, but you will need powder on top to lock it into place because it can shift and crease otherwise. These have the benefit of not looking flat and matte on those with normal to dry skins. And they have more "slip" and are easier to blend or sheer out than the solid and thick cream kind.

But do remember that Rich Liquid Foundation's "pigment in oil" formula will separate after it has been sitting around for awhile, so you will need to spend a good amount of time shaking it properly before using. If you've ever used a Lip Tar from Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics, these are the foundation equivalent of that.

In general though, people find camouflage foundations harder to use than regular foundations. It can look heavy, mask-like, cakey, or crease after a while. But I would say - if you run into these problems, you are probably applying too much or you are using a formula which isn't the best for your skin. You can't squeeze or scoop out the same amount of product as you would with a regular foundation and then buff it all in as per normal.

I never advise applying camouflage makeup all over the entire face. I see some people apply these on Youtube like they're applying tinted moisturizer, and it's just WAY too heavy and unnatural. It might look find on camera, but trust me - in real life - it is very cakey and aging.

What you should always consider doing is:

• Use these like jumbo-sized, economical high-coverage concealers. Wear a regular lightweight foundation or tinted moisturizer all over and apply these only where you need concealing. 
• Sheer these out. Apply 1 part foundation to 2-4 parts moisturizer depending on coverage you need and apply it all over the way you would with any other foundation. Then dab on undiluted product as concealer only where you need. 

Of course, if you have a skin condition which requires that you do heavy-duty coverage all over, moisturizing your skin well and wearing a good primer does help the product to go on smoother and stay fresh longer. But camouflage products tend not to mask texture all that well, so you should always set concealed areas with a good matte powder foundation if you have contoured/textured scars and marks to hide. 

Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer Demo and Tips

Is it worth the hype?

Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer, capped

I hate to say this, but... yes.
And yes, I’m kinda late to the game. But Kevyn Aucoin is not available where I am, and I only just realized FragranceX carried it.

So I did some swatch searches online and purchased a jar of this super-high coverage camouflage foundation for myself. It takes a little know-how to use if you’ve never tried something like this before, so if you’re wondering about investing in a jar of this wonderful product, then below are some tips and a demo.
The shade I use is SX 06 which is a fair yellow that’s probably closest to a MAC C25/NC25.

Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer SX06

Pictured with a tube of lip balm to show how small the jar is!

1. First thing you’ll notice is how tiny the jar is considering the US$50 retail price-tag. It’s literally the size of a jar of eye cream.
2. But second thing you should know is: You need a lot less than you think, which explains the size. See that little dab on the spatula below? That’s usually more than enough for basic dark circle and blemish coverage over my entire face. That little jar will probably last you longer than most of your foundations.
3. Most of these camouflage products are oil-based. This isn’t a bad thing because it keeps the product blendable and supple-looking even if you layer and layer it on to cover scars and tattoos. It also works fine on drier skin, including under the eyes. In Sensual Skin Enhancer’s case, it is mainly mineral oil (non-comedogenic, doesn’t go rancid), and jojoba oil (this is actually a natural skin-protecting wax, so it ALSO doesn’t clog pores or go rancid).
4. Sensual Skin Enhancer comes in both yellow-based and pink-based shades so make sure you read the descriptions before you purchase, especially if you’re shopping online.

A "dose" of Sensual Enhancer on a plastic spatula; this is all you need to cover dark circles and do a little concealing all over...

Usage tip: To use it for everyday, don’t just try to apply it all over the face straight from the pot. You’ll end up with a cakey, heavy mess. You can take a tiny amount and mix it with about 5-6 parts lotion or more for a lightweight foundation or tinted moisturizer. I mix it with my SPF50 sun screen just so I can take care of sun protection and foundation at one shot.

If you want fuller coverage, mix it with 3-4 parts lotion. (Mix it with an oil-control lotion if you prefer a more matte finish.) I simply rub everything together on the back of my hand and then apply to the face with brush or fingers.

To see the application process, follow this link and scroll to the bottom of the post!