Makeup Review and FOTD: Bourjois Felt Tip Eye Liner in Black

Since I'm going to Asia soon I've been making a makeup wishlist of stuff I would like to buy (squeee hauls to come!). In the top 10 are Japanese felt tip eyeliners, Dolly Wink or K-Palette preferably. But last time I went to a drugstore I figured I should check out the eyeliners available here. The first eyeliner I ever bought was a Lancôme liquid eyeliner, unfortunately I can't remember the name and it's been discontinued. Anyway I did not like it, lasting power was just average and it flaked terribly, causing me to get dirt in my eye each time I removed it. Then I switched to MAC's Fluidline and did not venture into liquid eyeliners again. This year I've been getting into Japanese makeup, and seeing how felt tip pen eyeliners were so popular among the many brands, I put it on top of my wishlist.

On to the product:

Whoever is in charge of marketing and packaging at Bourjois should be raised, because I always get attracted to their products, more than Maybelline's or L'Oréal's, just by seeing the ads in beauty magazines and pretty packages. Yes, I'm a sheep, I own up to it!! But what really got me to buy this eyeliner was:

Being the makeup geek that I am, I totally squealed when I saw that and hurriedly went to the counter to pay. I thought, since this is made in Japan, they probably use the same manufacturer than Kosé or Kanebo, right? Riiiight?!! I couldn't wait to try it!!

What it looks like:

Swatch on my hand:

As you can see, the tip of the liner is quite fine, and not too stiff, so you can get a thinner line with a light pressure and a bigger line with more pressure. I like the tip a lot, I think it is a great balance of hard and soft, allowing you to create great winged lines without poking your eye. It dries almost instantly so it's easy to apply without smudging it all over your lid. It is also quite long-lasting, I wore it on Monday for about 12+hours outside on a hot sunny day (I sweat a lot, unfortunately =() and I only experienced minor smudging under my eye corner. On the picture above, I let the eyeliner dry for about 10 seconds and smudged it with my finger, it left no trace :)

On my eye:

Sorry it's a bit blurry, hopefully you can see the clean line I got with the liner :) Liquid eyeliner is harder to apply than pencil or gel eyeliner but since it's so long-lasting I think it's a much better payoff, also in terms of intensity. I'd rather spend a few more minutes in my bathroom in the morning and not worry about my eyeliner smudging or touching up the whole day :)

All in all I'm really satisfied with this product and I will definitely repurchase it, and now I'm expecting even more of the Japanese ones =)

FOTD:

- Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in #52

- Skin79 Diamond Collection Pearl BB Cream (highlighter)

- Lancôme Blush Subtil in #6 Pêche Intense

- Too Faced Shadow Insurance

- Bourjois Felt Tip Eyeliner in Black

- Sisley Eyebrow Liner in Châtain

- Dior Addict Gloss in #557 Denim Pink

Make-up review: Canmake Cream Cheek

I did a Yesstyle haul a little over a month ago and I was looking for something to complete my order to get free shipping. When browsing the beauty section I came across Canmake cream cheeks. Like I said in a previous post I'm looking for an equivalent (in terms of color and lasting power) of my Benefit Posietint. I didn't think about looking up swatches and instead trusted the colors on the pictures. I ordered #03 Strawberry Whip.

Canmake is a Japanese drugstore brand. The packaging is pretty simple but cute, made in transparent plastic. I was surprised when I first saw it because I expected it to be somewhat bigger. I apply the cream with a puff or a sponge.

It's a good pigmented shimmery cream blush, you need very little product to get a good coverage. The color is rosy pink with a hint of mauve, I like it a lot. It gives the rosy dolly cheeks that I like.

Unfortunaly the shimmery bits are too visible for my taste. I only use shimmery/glittery stuff on my eyes and usually for nights out, for everyday wear I prefer matte finishes. Lasting power is good but I keep getting glittery bits on my fingers.

Photoshopped the light to see the color:


Natural light:


See the shimmery/glittery bits, even without flash? Meh.

OOTD:


- Hearts argyle pullover dress: ZOO
- Lace Hem Underskirt: Tokyo Fashion
- Shoes: Minelli (My favourite shoes, they fierce up every outfit)
- Necklace: Bala Boosté
- Headband: bought at Parkson Grand

Make-up review: Posietint by Benefit

Some time ago I went to Sephora looking for a blush, and a vendor made me try the very famous Benetint. Benetint is a red cheek and lip stain, which gives you a natural red glow as if you'd just run in the cold. I was interested in the long lasting effect of the blush: I have dry skin so powder blushes don't last long on me unless I wear foundation, which I usually don't on an everyday basis. However Benetint's red color didn't look so great on me. When I heard about Benetint's little sister, Posietint, made for fairer skintones, I decided to give it a go.

I think I bought this back in October 2009. You can see the printing on the bottle peeled off at the bottom :p. Posietint is like Benetint a cheek and lip stain, except the color is pink and is more appropriate for fairer skintones. It comes with a brush applicator similar to what is used in nailpolishes. According to the little manual which comes with the bottle, you are supposed to brush three strokes on the cheek before smudging it to your skin. I find that one brush stroke on each cheek is enough for me, if I apply more I end up with a clown face. The color can be a bit scary when you first see it, it is really a very flashy pink, but once you smudge it, it comes out like a natural flush on your cheeks. I have been told that I look scary because I never blush, even in embarrassing situations, so with this I can look less stern and frendlier haha.

The first time you use it, be careful, it can be tricky because it sets pretty fast, so you have to smudge it right after you apply it with the brush, otherwise you might end up with a pink stroke mark on your cheek.

I had a hard time capturing the effect with my camera, but as you can see (or not) it gives a very natural and innocent look. I absolutely love this product. I have a very sensitive skin and never had any problem with this, and usually people don't notice I'm wearing anything on my skin. I'v been told I look fresh with this ^^

On the negative side, the packaging is awful. Like you can see in the picture the printing peels off, and I've had strange fuschia stains in my makeup bag which I can only blame on this (leak on the bottle maybe?). Now I always pack it in tissues if I have to bring it anywhere. Unlike Benetint, the bottle is opaque and you don't know how much you've used. I think I'm nearing the end because I have a hard time getting product on the brush.

The price is also a turnoff. It retails for 32€ at Sephora (about 44 USD), which is pretty expensive for a blush, and although I use it everyday, I'm already nearing the end after 4-5 months of use, I am not sure about other blushes but I doubt you hit pan that fast. I have been looking at other cheaper alternatives (currently using Etude House's Cherry Tint in Pink) and creme blushes.

All in all, a very good product for fair skins if you're looking for a long lasting natural blush. And can afford it. I am not sure how to use this if you wear foundation, I've never tried it.