Benefit's Rockateur Box O' Powder

Feeling really annoyed right now because just about 2 months ago, I bought a whole bunch of stuff from Benefit, and now they are making me feel like doing another haul again. T_T All because they launched a new blusher, and it looks so nice! The latest addition to the Box O' Powder family is Rockateur! Described as rose gold shade, color payoff looks good and the DESIGN of the powder itself looks sooooo attractive.

I'll just let the pictures do the talking, mmmkay?

 

The best part is that you get a free rockateur tote with any order over $85 by entering "ROCKIT" at the checkout. Even the tote looks cool... then again, I haven't used totes since I finished high school. :P Offer valid til August 27th only!

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Lipstick Sundays : Jelly Pong Pong Supermodel Stain in Nymphette

Haven't been doing a lot of Lipstick Sundays posts because my husband always catches me in the middle of camwhoring. Awkward. :) I also don't like to take that many photos of myself because I have to prep so much before hand... make sure I'm not wearing crap clothes. Make sure my hair looks presentable. Make sure the background doesn't have a pile of dirty laundry behind. Hahaha! Should learn how to be more narcissistic. =)

As mentioned, this blog keeps me motivated to still take care of my appearance, so I think it's a good thing? Also to use up all the make-up that I keep buying! One of it is my Jelly Pong Pong Supermodel Stain that I bought from a Hishop sale. From almost a year back! They are having another Xmas sale now, so if you want to get the Supermodel Stain, you can check it out on that website. It is going for RM49 (usual price RM80) and comes in 3 colors : No Breakfast (a pinkish / peach shade), Cupcake Pout (dark red, more towards magenta) and Nymphette (bright reddish orange). The one that I bought is a hot cherry shade called "Nymphette".

So what was it about this "Supermodel Stain" that attracted me to it? Like Benefit's Benetint, this is also a product that does double duty as a lip & cheek tint. I'm always curious about things like that! It makes you feel like you are getting a damn good deal. However, unlike Benetint's liquid-y cheek & lip tint, this one is a sticky-ish  balm-like texture. They call it a "Highly Pigmented lip and cheek pomade". Just referred to good ol' Google, and a pomade is a "ointment". Hahaha, learn something new everyday.

Yes, as you can tell from the first two pictures, it is SUPER SMALL IN SIZE. It only weighs 2.2g and can easily be hidden in the palm of your hand! Imagine yourself as a waif-like model in skinny jeans, you can easily slip this into the back pocket of your pants. You could do your touch-ups on the plane and look super fresh and vivacious when you land. Honestly, when *I* slip it into my jeans pocket, it doesn't even look like I have anything in my pockets because it's so small! I'm just afraid taht one day I would forget to take it out and it ends up in the wash. *HORROR*

The packaging  is quite nice --- it comes in a hardy little aluminium tin. I don't really care for the graphic design, but it flips open and has a mirror inside the compact. It's so teeny weeny already, so unexpected that there's a mirror inside! But that's the Supermodel Stain for ya... supermodels need to look in the mirror when they are touching up, right?

So how do you use it? Ignore the non-glam-ness of the above picture. I was in a hurry to snap photos before le husband comes out and asks me to stop camwhoring. Sadly, in the few shots that I took, the above was the most proper one. *weeps* I thought I was photogenic! I was wondering if I should even post it, but I suppose it would give you a better estimation of how I actually look BEFORE the Stain comes on. :(

Gently tap the surface of the Supermodel Stain until you transfer some color onto your finger. Quickly tap across your cheeks and lips and blend until satisfactory. I couldn't take some good pics at this point cos quite ridiculous to keep tapping and blending and recording at the same time. Similar to my experience with ChaChaTint from Benefit, but because this is a pomade-texture (and not a liquid texture), it doesn't require you to be super fast when blending. For ChaChaTint, if you don't blend it fast enough, the first few spots that you transfer the color to will be more obvious than the other areas after blending.

For Supermodel Stain, no such worry, but because it's a stickier type of texture, you need to blend MORE. I don't quite fancy constantly rubbing across my skin, and if you believe that bubbles are too harsh for your skin (read previous post for context), better don't use this! A lot of rubbing and blending required!

Although the color looks quite bright in the compact case, it all depends on how much color you transfer back to your own face. You can go gentle and light, and the above is already with one "coat" of Supermodel Stain applied. The cherry color isn't that obvious, in fact it looks very natural and  fresh already. Some might even think that there is not much blush / lippie in this pic... until they see how pale and colorless I am in the above photo! 

Same with Benetint .. if there's not enough color... just keep applying more and more til you get the shade you want!

See how stained my finger is already? I decided I wanted more vibrant lips and wound out with this  more orange-like tone. I think a light swipe is more suitable, more reddish / pinkish. Too much and you get this reddish / orange-ish shade! As with Benetint, I feel like more color ends up on my fingers than on my face. Also same note of advise .... if you are the type who piles on a lot of foundation / BB cream, best not to use this product! Stick to powder blushers! I think it would be super difficult to blend if you apply on top of foundation, and I think you would have to put clown-like levels of blusher if you apply it UNDER foundation. However, don't take my word for it, I haven't actually tried it. I rarely wear foundation (unless for formal events) and I usually go out with just moisturiser or with Benefit's That Gal. Super lazy, I know!

As you can see from above pictures, the Supermodel Stain is also not very moisturising (or maybe I just have ULTRA dry lips), so you might like to use some lipbalm on top of it (or before you apply it! up to you!).

You might think this is super expensive for a 2.2g product, but I have a feeling that this is going to last me for freaking-ever. You really don't need to press damn hard on the pomade to get the color, just gently tap and swipe only. I would say, I only needed to tap maybe 3 times to put on my blusher, and 2 times for my lips. Oh, and a plus point for this : it really smells very nice! Like sweeeeeeeeet cherries. Very very enticing. It doesn't last forever though, just when applying, I don't really take note of it for the rest of the day.

However, not a repurchase for me because I really don't like using my fingers and rubbing so vigorously on my face to apply blusher... still, it was an interesting experiment...

FYI, I bought this at Hishop, so far, the only place that I go to for my Jelly Pong Pong stuff! :)

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Balmbini Face Palette

This is one of my favorite purchases during my Singapore hauls last year! The Balmbini Face Palette. I've been using it since last year, and have not been fair to it as I've kept putting off doing a review because I'm quite lazy to snap pictures. *ashamed* *fail beauty blogger* However, I've been packing it for so many on-the-go moments that every other face picture that I have would be one with the products from my Balmbini face palette. I have more than enough pictures required now. :P

As mentioned, this face palette is pretty comprehensive - it has eyeshadows, lipstick & lipgloss, blushers and all in a compact set that makes it travel-handy. It also has a mirror inside, which is SUPER useful, considering that I don't pack one. *ashamed* *failed female* Since I don't wear foundation, this is pretty much all I need to make myself up. Oh, and my eyeliner of course. ;)

The packaging is SO cute, isn't it? To be honest, I've heard of The Balm a long, long time ago, but I've never bought anything from them because :
a. not sure if it's *really* that good
b. it's freaking expensive!

However, I like this Face Palette because I can try out most of their star products --- and all for RM80+. Yes, that's how much this face palette costs, and I feel it's pretty worth it. Considering that my Too Faced Eye Shadow Palette already costs RM130. The quality of The Balm products are good - long-lasting and vibrant colors.

The back of the cover shows exactly what is in the box, as well as a suggestion on how you can use ALL the products in one look. Lol! I find using everything at once a bit too much for myself (too lazy to shade my cheeks and I won't bother with gloss on top of something that already feels like gloss!) , but even when you do put everything on at once , it looks quite glam - nothing too over-the-top and ridiculous.

Inside the Balmbini Face Palette, you get :
Down Boy Blusher - a bright pink, fun and flirty shade. Gives you a healthy glow, very youthful and playful.
Hot Mama Blusher - a shimmery orange for that sun-kissed look. Also can be used for shading.

Mary-Lou Manizer - pale golden, shimmery, luminiser for the eyes. To highlight your eyes, brighten them up and add a bit of sparkle! ;)

Shady Lady Eye Shadow - there's two shades in here : Insane Jane and Jealous Jordana. Insane Jane is some coppery-greenish shade (sorry, I can't really describe colors, but you can see from the pic above!) and Jealous Jordana looks like a really "jungley" shade of dark green that I wouldn't normally purchase. However, it does look good on the eyes when mixed with Insane Jane!

Read My Lips Lipstick - a dark red shade called "Wanted". It smells like cherries and is a bit sticky, so I thought it was gloss too!

Special Edition Tinted Gloss - looks orange-y, but comes on clear. Smells orange-y.

Some pictures of myself with "my face on". :P

See? Not too shabby right? The gloss + lipstick gives an insane amount of shine. I also find the shade quite nice. Though the color descriptions I gave for Insane Jane & Jealous Jordana sounds bad, it looks office-appropriate with a light touch. If I'm more heavy-handed, I could get a mean smokey eye look. :) You can also see how bright & vibrant the Down Boy blusher is! I quite like it! If you are into kawaii looks, this would be right up your alley.

And this is me with less stuff on - no Hot Mama shading and no gloss, just lippy.


Anyway, I'm super satisfied with this purchase. I reckon that wherever I go, I'll be packing this with me. So convenient!! I wonder if The Balm has any other face palettes?

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Hervana

Eeep! Benefit just came out with a new box o' powder and it's called Hervana! It's totally right up my alley! Of course, this makes my goal of collecting ALL the box o' powders 1 box more difficult. :P And I exaggerate, I don't want *all* the boxes anyway...

Benefit says: "Swirl on this orchid-blossom blush for a heavenly flush of enlightenment! These four shades—lucky shell, divine peach, heavenly rose and berry delight—blend together perfectly to lift your look to cloud 9."

The mixing of colors is reminiscent of the Sugarbomb box o' powder that I wanted to get, but I find the Sugarbomb one darker and more sultry, while Hervana seems like such a cheery, sweet, pink flush.


Currently, my box o' powder collection only consists of :

1) Dandelion - the sweetest, lightest pink ever with a light sprinkling of SPARKLE added in. Totally my go-to blusher for work!

2) 10 - the perfect "10" is easy to achieve with a no-brainer blush that helps you do your contouring and highlighting in one easy step! I used to love this a lot, but then I went too heavy-handed, til my boss asked me if I was sunburnt! After that I was really "burnt" and afraid to use it.

However, recently I've learned to be more easygoing with this and starting to fall in love with it all over again. Just have to remember it's doing the "sexy sweep" and not the "vigorous wipe up and down". -__-"


Other box o' powders that I'm interested in are :

1) Bella Bamba - a very vibrant pink, for a fun, party look! :D


2) Sugarbomb - talked about it earlier already, I just want it leh!

3) Thrrrob - a pinkish-blue to give you a "turned on" flush on your cheeks... hmmm... would it really work? :P


Ahhh... just a few more boxes, my pretty..

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Dodo Fun Fun Pop Cheek Blusher

Got these fun blushers called Dodo Fun Fun Pop Cheek when I was in Sasa, Hong Kong last month. They cost about RM30 after conversion, and are just very cute, travel-size friendly blushers. To be honest, I bought two because I wanted to give one to my boyfriend's sister. But then I couldn't decide which one I wanted to keep. *greedy* The Pearl Orange is now a very "in trend" color for cheeks - it gives you a healthy glow, slightly sunkissed kind of look. The Pearl Pink one looks more "traditional" and "safe". So in the end I kept both. *ashamed*

I only managed to use the blushers when I was in Singapore last weekend, and I loved it! Well, parts of it. For one, I didn't really quite know how to operate it. Based on the instructions, you are supposed to just shake the little bottle up and down for a bit, and the powder will flow from the bottom and up to the spongy top, leaving a light coating, perfect for swiping on your cheeks...

However, after shaking and shaking, I could see SOME color appearing on the sponge, but definitely not enough for an application. My hand was getting sore, and Tron was getting bored waiting for me to get ready to go out...

Finally, I got tired of pumping my hand up and down, and just turned the applicator right into the little tub of powder. Of course, this will guarantee you to get wayyy too much powder on your cheeks, so it was kinda tedious to dust off the excess. Feels so wasteful...

Oh, and don't be afraid of the flourescent orange packaging, I find that this is one of the best coral blushers I've tried! It also has a bit of glitter in it to give a sparkly look to your "I've been out in the sun" look. I love it! You give your make-up look something more of a casual, sporty vibe, which was perfect for my short trip down in Singapore. Very natural look, so this was indeed quite a fun blusher.

This pic taken without flash. Dunno about you, but I feel like I can still see the orangey glow on my cheeks here. Love this pic! :D

With flash... you see, despite the flourescent packaging, the color is really really subtle. Maybe I should be more heavy handed? :D

I'll try the Pearl Pink one soon and hopefully by then I figure out thepackaging! Cos it's really annoying to keep shaking the bottle so violently and getting nowhere fast.

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Yuberactive Review : Max Factor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush in Soft Cardinal

Thanks to Yuberactive for the cream blusher from Max Factor! It is really a different type of blusher that I've not gotten a chance to use before. I've used to mineral powder blushers, normal powder blushers , liquid cheek tints... and now a cream blusher! I was expecting it to be like a powder blush, but it is more like a cheek tint to me.



Personal thoughts when using the blush? Well, you definitely don't use it OVER powder because you're going to have a hard time blending it. I like to use it just over a clean, moisturised face so that it gives a subtle glow. Because the packaging is so small and cute, you can keep it in your bag for easy touch-ups throughout the day. Again --- that's easy to do only if you don't wear foundation OVER the blush.

To use it, think of it like... a lip gloss. You swirl it with your fingers (yes, a brush is out of the question), quickly dab a bit on your cheeks and then continue to blend in with your fingers. I am used to using blushers like Benefit's Cha Cha Tint, so this was quite a familiar process for me. To ensure that the color distribution is done properly, I recommend making three "dots" on your cheeks like the picture below before you blend it in. Also, my personal "recipe" for using this is to give three "swirls" around the small container before applying on my face. One swirl is too light, and three swirls leaves just the right amount of color after blending everything out properly.



I like the blush because the Soft Cardinal shade is youthful and gives me a healthy glow. It's not something garish and I think it would be suitable for all age groups. The bad part is that because it is a bit "sticky" in texture, it requires some amount of tugging at my cheeks in order to blend it in properly. As I grow older, I get more anal about tugging at my skin that might result in wrinkles. Heh.



Plus, in the morning when I go to work, it's so much easier to just swipe on some powder blush with two flicks of my brush instead of messing around with my face with my fingers. I believe it was Natalie Portman who said that the best make-up advice she ever received was to keep her hands away from her face at all times. Hmm...

However, having said all that ... I find RM28 too pricey for a tiny bit of blusher. Still, a very interesting product. Think about it --- you can store a blusher in your handbag with no worries of spillage. You don't have to take any brush along (e.g: when you use mineral make-up blushers!). It's small, so it can be slipped in along with your lipstick!

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Box O' Powderful Power

Finally finished my bottle of Schwarzkopf Asian Glatt shampoo and anxious to start renewing something new! Meanwhile, I'm currently mad over the box o' powder series from Benefit. Here's a picture of me with the 10 bronzer + highlighter on. :) Make-up for the first day of work :


Ya, I know its nothing to shout about (my make-up), but I so loved the bronzer + highlighter that is the 10 box o' powder from Benefit! I think it's an idiot-proof way to shading. I really shouldn't have smiled in the picture because then you'd be able to see how amazing my cheekbones look with this on.

However, remember not to go overboard with the bronzer. I loved it so much that I kept using 10 the rest of the week.. each time getting more and more heavy handed until my manager asked me if I got burnt in the sun. -___- Totally horrifying moment for me. Told you I'm no expert in applying make-up.

After that, I reverted back to my good ol' Dandelion box o' powder, for a sweet flush on my cheeks. My goal will be to collect every single box o' powder in Benefit's arsenal... If that's one reason to work hard in life and to earn more money, this will be it for me. *bimbo*

By the way, why does my box o' powder not have the mirror at the bottom of the lid? Anyway I think it won't be very useful since it's such a small mirror...

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Everyday Minerals Haul

As I've mentioned before, I bought Everyday Minerals make-up when I saw RiceBunny talk about it back on her Xanga days. Oh RiceBunny... she's probably the best 18 year old sales person of her day. ;) Thanks to her, I bought
-- Boots No. 7 lipgloss in "Flirt"
-- a Lancome Designer eyeshadow in Metallic that I use for the smokey eye look (just like what she recommended...)
-- Everyday Minerals (a tonne of stuff, even stuff she didn't recommend)
-- aspirin... and became a devout user of the aspirin mask
-- L'oreal H.I.P duos in Dynamic, Flashy and Reckless (Will blog about them another day)

But after a while I stopped because most of the stuff could only be gotten in America, or were from websites that only shipped within the US. Also, because after I used Everyday Minerals and liked it a lot, she did a turnaround and then said it wasn't as good as _____ brand. I was like... huh? Suddenly EM is NOT good? But I wasn't rich enough to rush off and buy the new brand, and I was pleased with the results I got from EM, so I continued using it.

I started using Everyday Minerals before mineral make-up became a big thing in Malaysia and you could get mineral make-up from the bigger brands like Maybelline, Revlon, etc. (Now I can't seem to find it anymore as the "in" thing now is BB Cream.) However, had to order it online, and they only shipped within the US, so I've not been shopping there recently. It's a shame because I really like the stuff there. They've also severely revamped the website til I don't know what's going on. I also used to like the "sets" that they had. It made the things there affordable. Now you can't get sets anymore and you have to singularly buy the stuff there. Kinda meh for me. I also don't really like their packaging because it is prone to spillage. There was once when I opened my package and there was fine powder all over the package. Found out one of the powder blushes had leaked. Sigh...


Having said all the negative stuff, the make-up itself is really good though. Based on what I've tried there, here are my opinions :

(1) EM brushes are AWESOME. Especially the kabuki brushes. They are easy to clean, and they feel so soft on your face. Other brushes that I've used don't even come close. (I once had a Maybelline kabuki brush that felt more like coconut bristles... and the Boots one, though soft, is not as soft as EM's one).

This is the picture of the kabuki brush that I have, from the website. Forgot to take a picture of my brush, now lazy to upload. :p

(2) The foundation series with four different formulas, great for every occassion. I've only tried 3 out of the 4, but here's my take on what I did try :
a. Original Glo - very light coverage, great for those who have flawless skin to give light complexion coverage and highlights, and a dewy, glowy, look. However, I am not such a fan of it because in Malaysian weather, this tends to look oily rather than dewy after a few hours. When I was in US, it looked great though because I barely sweat there. It's a really good foundation to perk up dull skin.

b. Semi-Matte - alright coverage which doesn't clog pores. No "sparkliness" like Original Glo, but we are going for more coverage here, not dewiness. I like Semi-Matte and I think it's suitable for our country.

c. Matte - super "full" coverage which I use sparingly, or mixed with original glo because I feel like it might be too "heavy" for my skin.

d. Intensive - the website says that this formula is "oil absorbing, perfectly matte and used for heavier coverage in humid climates. It is for those with oily complexions who want the look of matte." This would sound like it's perfect for Malaysian weather, but since I felt that matte was already so "intensive" for me, I was glad that I didn't get it. However, in the spirit of trying all things out, I do plan to get this in the future. ;P

(3) The blushers and eyeshadows come in some pretty amazing shades and there's so much of it in each full-size pot that it's hard to finish. I love the shimmery, sleek finish of the ones that I got - Spin Cycle, Pressed Olive and Movie Night! All 3 colors are suitable for casual outings or for work.

Spin Cycle - a very light shimmery lilac.

Pressed Olive - a light shimmery green color.

Movie Night - a barely-there nude shade. I don't think it's very "movie night" as that name spells glamor to me, but I think it's more like a "let's go and watch a flick in the cinema" type of casual date "movie night".


For blushers --- I don't think I'm ever going to be able to finish my three full-size pots - Apple, Sunday Brunch and B&B. Apple looks like a light pink color, but it comes on darker and is suitable for a sexy look, suitable for night events. This, despite the website saying that it is a "light and rosy" shade. Maybe I'm a little too heavy handed!


Meanwhile, Sunday Brunch looks darker, but when applied, looks earthier, giving a suntanned type of look. I actually use Sunday Brunch more often than Apple, because it's a more suitable daytime look. By the way, this is a discontinued shade, you can't find it anymore on Everyday Minerals.


As you can see from B&B, this is a super coral shade, with lots of shimmer! Better for bronzing and shading actually. When I wear this, it's super orangey, and I'm not used to it! But I'll try to make this work, must not let it go to waste!


Oh, I also got a black powder eyeliner shade from them, but have not used it as I'm not sure HOW to do so. Hahahhaa. *lame*


(4) The free gifts! I try to make my purchases when they have free giveaways (you can find out by clicking on "Try Me Free" and then "Promos". At the moment, they are giving away Kaolin Powder Sunlight, Natural, Pearl Beige and Pink Ribbon Blush for all purchases over $18). During my last purchase, I got 2 free eyeshadow shades from their Christmas collection specials. During festive seasons, they have new shades that can't normally be bought off-season. I got a glittery-gold-green shade called Tinsel Time and a dark green shade called Mistletoe.


When I first saw Mistletoe, I was pretty aghasted. When could I EVER wear such a glittery dark green shade? I'm pleased to say that this shade actually works quite well for a smokey eye look with a difference!


(5) The free samples! To lure you into buying full-size ones in the future? You get to choose a free "Try Me" kit with every purchase, and it's a mixture of foundation colors and blushers (I think, I can't really remember). I got a few foundation shades to try out, but in the end Olive Fair was the shade for me and there was no doubt about it. I also tried Sunkissed Fair (Olive Fair is a better match, though this was not too bad) and Sunlight (too light for me).

Thanks to the free samples, I also got All Smiles, which is a matte blusher in a very light, rosy pink. It's not too bad, but because it's in a tiny sample kit bottle, I have to transfer it to a bigger pot to use, and that can be annoying. Color-wise, I find it similar to my Dandelion powder from Benefit, except Benefit is more shimmery.

Oh, I didn't talk about this (cos I rarely use it - regret buying the full size), but I also got the multitasking concealer & finishing dust. It's alright when I want to go all "heavy duty" with my make-up...


I plan to replenish my base foundation, but Everyday Minerals *still* does not ship to Malaysia. This would be ok for me, as now they have stuff like VPOST to do the re-directing to your home country. The trouble is, my BILLING address also can't be Malaysian. This sucks! :( I really wanted to get the following stuff :

-- Olive Fair for original glo, semi-matte, matte & intensive
-- Chamomile eyeshadow - a light yellow shade with sparkles!

-- Oasis eyeshadow - a shimmery copper shade!

-- The Imagination Kit which consists of 4 eyeshadows (Floating Feathers, Lip Lock, Prettier in Pink and Samba Lessons), 1 lipstick (Enough Talk, Kiss Me) and 1 blusher (SoCo), comes in a drawstring bag.

P.S : if you're wondering how I managed to get my stuff LAST time, I used to know someone who was willing to lend me their credit card number. ;p

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