Worth the Hype? MAC LIpstick in Ruby Woo

$15     0.10 oz / 3 g

Availability: MAC, Nordstrom 

If you're a member of the beauty community, I'm pretty sure you either have heard people talk about this lipstick 10 thousand times, or you already have it. I seriously don't know why it too me so long to get this lipstick but I'm glad I did.

Color & Finish

Ruby Woo is described as a vivid blue red. I can never tell if a red lipstick has a cool tone but I can tell it doesn't have much orange in it. This red is a very bright true red. It's not pink nor coral. It suits all kinds of complexions.

It has Retro Matte finish even though on the packaging it just says Matte. Apparently they are different finishes. This is the only Retro Matte I have and I don't own any Matte ones so I don't know. But it's definitely very matte. It has no glossiness to it whatsoever.

Formula & Pigmentation

The formula is very dry. But it's workable. It can tug the lips when applied out of the bullet, so definitely apply in short strokes. I don't think it dries my lips out. It just doesn't provide any moisture. If you have dry lips, make sure you apply lip balm underneath. It would also help with the application.

It's very pigmented. You definitely need a mirror to apply it. Because of the dry formula, if you make any mistake, wipe it off soon because it might stain.

multiple layers | one layer

How I Wear It

I absolutely love wearing it for a night out because it can work as a stain. I apply a layer and blot it with a tissue and repeat it for a few times to secure the stain. I don't have to touch up for the rest of the night if I'm just drinking. It might come off a little but if you eat because of the oil in food. I also love it just keeping the rest of my makeup really minimal. I can also apply a thin layer with my fingers to create a sheer stain for a natural look.

Does it make my teeth whiter?

Overall, I love this lipstick and will keep repurchasing it. I love that it can make my makeup look look so much more polished when I only have foundation and mascara on. The dry formula makes the application require a little more effort, but I don't mind that since it also keeps the color on longer. It's a high effort but low maintenance lipstick. The color works for all kinds of skin tones and complexions. It's definitely worth the hype and I would highly recommend it to everyone!

Hall of Fame: Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush in Natural Beauty

$26     0.20 oz / 5.6 g

Ingredients: Talc, Mica, Zinc Stearate, Polyethylene, Tricaprylin, Caprylic/capric Triglyceride, Cera Alba/beeswax/cire D’abeille, PEG-150 Distearate, Lanolin, Laureth-4, Chlorphenesin, Potassium Sorbate, Kaolin, Tin Oxide, Polysorbate 20, Tetrasodium EDTA, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163), Red 27 (CI 45410), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Red 6 (CI 15850), Ultramarines (CI 77007)

Availability: Sephora, Dermstore.com

Color & Finish

Natural Beauty is described as a muted strawberry red, and I totally agree. It looks very intense in the pan but it really resembles the natural color when we blush. It gives people the illusion of you glowing not because it has shimmer (it's mostly matte) but because the color makes you look very rejuvenated. 

The finish is pretty matte. I can't see any shimmer in the pan or on the cheek. But it doesn't flatten the cheek when applied. It leaves an almost undetectable sheen, which is pretty similar to the texture of bare skin.

Pigmentation

With these Tarte blushes, the pigmentation varies from blush to blush. Natural Beauty is pretty pigmented. You definitely want to tap the excess off of the brush before applying it onto the skin. For fair skin, this can work very well if you use a very light hand. Literally just dip the brush in the pan, tap off the excess, possibly swirl it on the back of your hand, and dab it onto the skin. The color is also buildable. I can see this blush work for darker complexions.

Formula

The texture of this blush is not the most buttery, but it's not too stiff, either. It actually works out very well with the high pigmentation, making it a little more fool-proof.

How I Wear It

I've been wearing it for all kinds of makeup looks. It can work with smokey eyes with just a sheer wash of color. It can also be the focal point if you're not wearing anything on the eyes. It's very versatile.

Overall, I'm in so in love with this blush. I've been wearing it almost everyday this month. The color just makes you look so healthy and awake. The finish is fantastic as it's matte without flattening out the facial structure. The formula and pigmentation are easy to work with. Not the most fool-proof because you do have to be cautious not to put too much on. But it just requires a little tapping or swirling before you put it on. I also love it because it's such a versatile product. If I can only take one blush for travels I would pick this one. I would highly recommend it to everyone!

Antipodes Grapeseed Butter Cleanser

$47     2.5 oz/ 75 g

Ingredients: Olea europaea* (olive oil), butyrospermum parkii (shea butter), phormium tenax* (harekeke flax seed oil), cocos nucifera* (coconut oil), simmondsia chinensis* (jojoba oil), cera alba (beeswax), silica, theobroma cocao (cocoa butter), vitis viniferia (Vinanza Grape seed extract), sorbitan isostearate, matricaria chamomilla (blue chamomile), hibiscus sabdarifa (hibiscus flower), lavendula officinalis (lavender oil), naticide (fragrance & preservative), benzyl alcohol, Vitamin E (*Certified organic ingredient)

Availability: Antipodes, Feelunique.com

Before I discovered Caroline Hirons's blog, I loved foaming cleansers. My face doesn't feel clean unless I use a foaming cleanser. Even though it does cleanse the skin really well, it's very drying to the skin. So I was trying to switch to cleansing milk, balms, and in this case, a cleansing butter. I've tried it for a few weeks, I don't like it, and here's why.

The consistency is just what it's called: butter. But no it's not like your body butter. It's even thicker than that. I find it hard to smooth it all over my face because it doesn't really turn into an oil. I ended up using a lot of product and taking more time.

Also, it does not take makeup off well. If you have light face makeup, it might move it around a bit. If you have waterproof makeup, forget about it.

Lastly, the one thing that bothers me the most is that it's impossible to rinse this booger off! You have to take it off with a washcloth a few times. For that reason, I don't trust it for taking off makeup because I think it will leave residues combined with old makeup. I can see it works for a second cleanse if you have really dry skin.

I do find this cleansers a bit clogging. I tend to get blackheads afterwards and occasional breakouts. If you have acne prone, oily, or normal skin, this is a no-go. If you have dry skin, this might work for you if you're careful and gentle with using the washcloth.

Overall, I'm not happy with this cleanser. I will probably still use it on my very dry skin days but I will not repurchase this. I cannot recommend it to anyone because of its potential of clogging and/or breaking out the skin. :(

Worth the Hype? Caudalie Vinosource S.O.S Thirst Quenching Serum

$48     1 oz

Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Fruit Water*, Glycerin*, Butylene Glycol*, Ethylhexyl Palmitate*, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6,Polymethyl Methacrylate, Dimethicone, Palmitoyl Grape Seed Extract*, Caprylyl Glycol, Parfum (Fragrance), Squalane*, Potassiumsorbate, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Juice*, Sodium Benzoate, Xanthan Gum,Sorbitan Oleate*, Sodium Carboxymethyl Betaglucan, Citric Acid, Sorbitan Laurate*,Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Phytate*, Disodium Acetyl Glucosamine Phosphate, Myristyl Malate Phosphonic Acid. (*Plant Origin)

Availability: Sephora, Nordtrom, Dermstore.com

This serum isn't a new product but has been getting really good reviews from many well known beauty gurus. I've been a fan of several products from Caudalie so I thought I would give it a go.

The consistency of this serum is really light. It feels very comfortable on the skin and is absorbed quickly into the skin. Even though it's light, it hydrates very well. It contains hyaluronic acid, which is a great ingredient for hydration that my skin responds very well to.

My skin type changes a lot, almost on day to day basis. It ranges from oily to normal to dry. I've also been breaking out due to dehydration. This serum is perfect because I can use it no matter what skin type I have that day and it really soothes the irritation caused by dehydration.

I think it's definitely worth the hype. It's such a versatile product in the sense that it can be used on many different skin types/conditions. For oily and normal skin types, I use one pump for the entire face, followed with a light moisturizer. When my face is feeling dry, I apply two layers of the serum, followed with a richer moisturizer. If my skin is very irritated, I use it in the morning as well before my normal moisturizer.

I love this serum! It's been  featured in September Most Loved 5 and has made into my Hall of Fame. I recommend a product to all skin types, and that's pretty rare!

Fall 2013 Makeup Trend Series | Trend #5: Cat Eyes

Trend #5: Cat Eyes
Cat eyes were BIG on the runway. Literally. It's no longer just a feline flick. It's full on Amy Winehouse kind of cat eyes. It's a quite versatile trend. You can experiment with different colors, different shapes, and different placements. One thing I noticed is the clean edges. There isn't too much blending.

Anna Sui                                                                                                               Christian Dior

Dolce & Gabbaba                                                                                              Jason Wu

Lanvin                                                                                                                    Michael Kors

(source: style.com)

This trend is obviously not for a day time look, but it's perfect for a night out. It can be a very time consuming look because to keep the edges clean, you have to be very precise with the shapes and lines.

To help you create the sharp edges, take some Scotch tapes and stick it onto your hand a few times to make it less sticky. Put them at an angle following your bottom lash line.

I used a creamy black eye kohl as a base (Urban Decay Eye Pencil in Perversion). You want to be able to smudge it out. Draw the cat eye shape (the tail and all over the lid) and then even it out with a clean cotton swap.

Next, take off the Scotch tapes, and you'll have clean edges at the bottom. If there's any mess-ups, take a dark brown or black eyeshadow with an angled brush and create clean edges (Urban Decay Crave in Naked Basics Palette). If you take the lines too low or too high, use baby wipes or micellar water (like Bioderma) soaked cotton swaps.

Take the same  eyeshadow on a dense flat eyeshadow brush. Pad it on to the lids to set the eye kohl.

You can leave it like that for a black smokey eye. But I wanted to add some color so I put some shimmery dark blue eyeshadows on top (L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Midnight Blue). Be careful not to go over the edges!

Urban Decay Eye Pencil in Perversion | Urban Decay Crave in Naked Basic Palette | L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Midnight Blue

Take your time and have fun with it! Good luck!

That's all for the Fall Makeup Trend Series. I hope you enjoyed it!

Check out other trends if you haven't! Trend #1   Trend #2   Trend #3   Trend #4

Fall 2013 Makeup Trend Series | Trend #4: Grey Eyes

Trend #4: Grey Eyes
The grey eyeshadows are used very subtly, giving the eyes very soft definition and a foggy mysterious feel. It feels very Parisian to me. It just adds a little "je ne sais quoi"!

Prada                                                                                                                        Alexander Wang

Giles                                                                                                                         Marc Jacobs

(source: style.com)

This trend is very easy and great for everyday looks.

I used Maybelline Color Tattoo in Tough As Taupe as a base. It's a grey/taupe cream eyeshadow. Since it's very stiff and hard to blend, I didn't put it passed the crease.
Grey colors can look very dull so the key is to add a very subtle warmth or a subtle (satin) sheen. Here I used MAC Soba to give it a tiny bit of warmth and sheen.
Finally I used a grey eyeshadow (MAC Copperplate) on my crease to create some definition and blended it out with a clean blending brush. I also put it on the bottom lash line.

MAC Copperplate | Maybelline Tough As Taupe | MAC Soba

Check out some other trends if you haven't! Trend #1   Trend #2   Trend #3

Fall 2013 Makeup Trend Series | Trend #3: Warm Eyes

Trend #3: Warm Eyes
The runways really embraced the warm tone eyes, especially chocolate and orange colors.

Givenchy                                                                                                              Gucci

Victoria Beckham                                                                                           Jil Sander

(source: style.com)

Orange eyeshadows can look a little unnatural for day time looks. Here is the look I create with an orange eyeshadow. To make it more wearable, use a light warm brown as a base color (MAC Soba) , preferably matte or satin finish. And then go over with the orange shadow (MAC Rule) all the way pass the crease a little bit. Add a darker brown (MAC Brown Script) to give a little bit of definition, but don't pass the orange shadow because you want it to show up. Finally blend the edges.

If you haven't, please check out Trend #1 and Trend #2!

Fall 2013 Makeup Trend Series | Trend #2: Red Hued Lips

Continuing with the Fall Trend Series, let's check out Trend #2!
If you haven't seen the first trend, please check it out here.

Trend #2: Red Hued Lips
On the runways, the lips are either none at all or really vibrant lips. The colors are mostly variations of red: reds, wines, pinks, fuchsia, etc. There are many different textures as well. Some line the lips with a slightly darker color, some put most color in the center to create staining effect, some are matte, and some are glossy.

Christian Dior                                                                                                   Dolce & Gabbana

Lanvin                                                                                                                    Marc by Marc Jacobs

(source: style.com)

There are a lot of vibrant reds, deeper reds, brick reds, and of course true reds. Here are some of my lipsticks (and a lip gloss) that are suitable for this trend.

MAC Ruby Woo | Revlon Black Cherry | Revlon Candy Apple | Maybelline Who Wore It Red-er | NYX Louisiana | Clinique Spiced Apple | MAC Viva Glam Cyndi (gloss)

Fall 2013 Makeup Trend Series | Trend #1: No Blush

As we're entering the fall season, I want to do a Fall 2013 Makeup Trend Series to tell you about some of the makeup looks that appeared a lot on the Fall RTW runway. I will also apply these trend on myself to show you how I do it and what products I use. Let's get crackin' with Trend 1!

Trend #1: No Blush
On the runways, the base makeup has been really simple and clean. There's not much cheek products going on.

Atelier Versace                                                                                 Bottega Veneta

Diane von Furstenberg                                                                 3.1 Phillip Lim

(source: style.com)

It's really easy to look flat if you're not wearing cheek products. Either use a more dewy foundation or set it with a satin finish powder. I'm not blessed with strong facial structure so I use a really fine highlighting powder and a light contouring powder to give me some cheekbones.

Face
     Kanebo Freshel BB Moist Lift Cream in Medium Beige
     MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium
Cheeks
     Kevyn Aucoin The Celestial Powder in Candlelight
     Sonia Kashuk Undetectable Cream Bronzer in Rich Bronze
Lips
     MAC Lipstick in Ruby Woo