Organic Skin Care Blog – Product Reviews & Healthy Skin

Chantecaille's Summer 2018 makeup collection has launched, and here are swatches of the entire collection! And close up product photos! I know these aren't exactly the earliest swatches, but I thought better late than never.

The collection is inspired by vacation and beaches, and has an appropriately themed colour selection with limited edition packaging (for the bronzers and eyeshadows). The rest of the collection (Lip Sleeks, Mermaid Eye Matte cream eyeshadows, Les Perles Metallic Eye Liner) are all permanent.


Let's take a closer look at the collection.
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Etude House Cherry Moisture Lip Glow was launched in January this year, and it's a really cool product! Basically its sort of a cross between a lip oil and a lip gloss, offering both shine, as well as some colour, while claiming to moisturize your lips. I think it'll be a pretty popular product, owing to both the nice feel and colour, as well as that uber-cute packaging - check out the cherry on the tube!


Well without further ado, here are swatches!

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RMK's Spring/Summer 2017 Color Change makeup collection is officially launched, and I come bearing swatches! This makeup collection also coincides with RMK's 20th anniversary, and RMK's Creative Director, Kaori, selected the two shades of pink and beige to head up the Color Change collection, as they are integral to any make up look. The number of products in this collection is also pretty large - there are 6 eyeshadow duos, 6 lipgloss duos, 7 lipstick shades, and 7 blush shades, and 6 nail polish shades. So you can imagine my arm after all that swatching!


RMK isn't kidding when they say the collection is made up of pinks and beiges - literally every product here is in pink and/or beige, and basically pinks and beiges make up like 95% of the collection. RMK also has a nice quality of makeup, with generally soft textures, and buildable pigmentation, allowing the products to be applied sheerly or packed on for more colour, and this collection does fall quite nicely in line with the quality in the standard RMK products.
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This is a pretty major empties post, because the last time I blogged about my empties was half a year ago in December last year (it was also a pretty large post, that I split into two parts, part 1 and part 2). This time around, I have even more stuff!


The nice thing about empties is that, for me, using a product up comes with a sense of accomplishment (as in, hey, I actually stuck to something long enough to use it up!) and also a sense of permission (as in, hey, I've used up a lipstick, now I can buy another lipstick)! So for a beauty junkie like me, it's both gratifying and enabling!



Obviously, there's a lot to go through, so without further ado, let's jump right in!
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The MAC Flamingo Park Collection is the brand's first Spring 2016 makeup launch, and it was recently launched here. I happened to be at the store during the launch, and I managed to get swatches of the products for you! It was quite an ordeal swatching the products, because it was very crowded in the store, with people buzzing around and swarming around the collection testers, so I'm happy to have swatched everything I could!


But before we move on to the swatches proper, I'd like to mention that the lighting in the swatches might be a bit lacking due to the fact that these were all swatched in-store.

Also, as you can see from the above photo of the Flamingo Park setup, it seems like for some reason the collection differs slightly here in Singapore. Not all the "official USA" shades were displayed in the Flamingo Park Collection display, and some permanent shades were put in the display as part of the Flamingo Park Collection although they didn't appear in the US version of the shade lineup. I'm not too sure why this is the case, but in any case, I've just done my best to swatch everything that was on display, so any incongruency with what was launched in the US is just due to whatever was in the display in the store.
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Etude House's Snowy Dessert Holiday 2015 Collection certainly seems to be a hit this year. Between the food-themed items, the absolutely adorable packaging, the attractive products, and the affordable prices, I think Etude House has basically ticked all the boxes for a winning Christmas collection! I've taken some swatches of the colour makeup, namely the Pudding Tint, the Ginger Cookie Blusher and Contour, and the new Play 101 Pencils, so without further ado, let's check out the swatches!


First up, though, I have to apologize for the swatches. I had some items from the collection but not all, so I tried to get the full range of swatches by going into the store to swatch the shades I didn't have, but I think the lighting in the store was less than optimal. Still though, I think the swatches are good enough to give you ad indication of the colour!
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Etude House's Bling Me Prism collection has just been released here in September, and these are very summery bright pops of colour! Two of the products that seem to be getting a lot of attention are the Bling Me Prism Eyes, which are cream eyeshadows, as well as the Bling Me Prism Color in Liquid Lips, which are a lipgloss-liptint hybrid.


As is always the case with Etude House, the packaging for this is uber-cute, and super girly and princess-y to boot. I'm not sure if the shades are added to the permanent collection, but the packaging is usually a limited edition thing. So if you're eyeing any of the items for the packaging, you probably might want to get them earlier, rather than later.


Etude House Bling Me Prism Eyes: A cream eyeshadow in 5 shades
Anyway, enough of my chatter - let's get to the swatches!
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The Face Shop Ink Lipquid (with the really cute portmanteau in the product name) is the Kbeauty brand's latest lip product, and it is marketed as a cross between a lipstick, lipgloss, and lip stain/liptint. The selling of the Ink Lipquid, according to the Face Shop, is the combination of moisture and staying power. I don't have the website, but reading off my phamplet, the Ink Lipquid promises "moist lips with 70% water base", and a "vivid color lasts on lips for 12 hours" (gotta love that slight Engrish over there, but you get the idea).


There are 12 shades in the range, and like most Korean brnds, the colours range from brights to pastels, and cover a fairly good array of colours. I have 3 of the shades today, PK03 Shah Pink, OR02 Orange Some, and RD02, Red Sing.


The Face Shop Ink Lipquid: Gives a long lasting stain, while not drying out the lips
Alright, let's get on with the swatches and reviews! I've got both arm and lip swatches, as well as an (accidental) staining test!
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I'm always discovering new ways to buy more makeup and beauty products from, and recently I was introduced to BonjourHK's onlince website! I'm actually somewhat familiar with Bonjour, as it is a chain of stores across Hong Kong selling beauty products at accessible prices, much like Ulta (if you're in the US), Watsons, Guardian or Sasa (if you're in Asia). When I visited Hong Kong 3 years back, I stepped into quite a few Bonjour shops, although I didn't buy anything (I ended up with the smallest haul ever - sigh!). But the thing I liked about Bonjour is the eclectic mix of brands and products - there's everything from mainstream brands to niche Asian beauty brands I've never heard of before.


I actually never realized that Bonjour had an online website, but they do! And the website has pretty cheap shipping (which is free if you buy above a certain dollar amount threshold), and they ship internationally, too. And of course, the range of brands and types of products are just as varied as ever - there's everything from skincare to makeup to skin devices, and the brands range from fairly mainstream Asian brands (like DHC and Hada Labo) to more niche ones (like Choosy and Yu Mei). I was super excited when the package arrived, right on time within the 7-21 days window stated on the website.


My BonjourHK Haul: Includes brands both fairly well-known, as well as some undiscovered gems
The mass of products above, as well as the fact that I actually want to do a mini-review for each product rather than just run through the haul, means that this post is going to be pretty long (and photo heavy). So if you're going to read onwards, don't forget to buckle up before you go! And if you're all ready, let's just head straight into my product-by-product quick review!
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MUFE (Make Up For Ever) has a new line of lipgloss, the Artist Plexi Gloss, that will be launched in Singapore on 16 April. These lipglosses come in 35 shades, and I've heard that they will be replacing the Lab Shine Lipgloss range. The shade range of the Artist Plexi Glosses are seriously immense - everything from reds, to pinks, to corals, to nudes, and even some cooler shades like purple and black. They come in two finishes - Pure, which is a glossy finish sans any sort of shimmer whatsoever, and Pearly, which has a slight shimmer finish (no discoball, gritty glitter here).


The shade numbering system for the MUFE Artist Plexi Glosses is quite simple: shades in the 100s are nudes and beiges, shades in the 200s are pinks, shades in the 300s are corals, shades in the 400s are reds, and the 500s are purple and other more funky shades. The "Pearly" shades are distinguished from "Pure" shades by the addition of the "P" at the end - so for example, 400 would be a red shade with a Pure finish (no glitter, just glossy), while 401P would be a red shade with a Pearly finish that has some very fine shimmer.


I'm told the glossiness of the Artist Plexi Glosses is acheived by a special blend of polymers that form a smooth surface on the lips, giving a nice shine. Another thing that's novel about the Artist Plexi GLosses are their applicators. As you can see they are a spoon-shaped applicator with a little cut in the side - apparently this is so the applciator can scoop up the right amount of gloss, and apply it smoothly to the lips to give a nice, even application on the lips..

But enough about the glosses. I know you guys came to see swatches, so let's cut to the chase! I've got all 35 shades swatched for you, so yay for that!
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Etude House's Color in Liquid Lips has launched here, and according to their website it's a as a "melted liquid lipstick with the intense color and high shine to make provocative yet lovely sheer lips", with "cushiony water-sliding texture" to keep lips "supple and hydrated".

In that sense, it's a product that's sort of a hybrid between a lipstick and a lipgloss - a liquid lipstick, if you will. Based on appearances, it's fairly similar to the Dior Addict Fluid Sticks and Maybelline's Color Elixirs, and even looks like a lipstick, although it's actually a lipgloss! Of course, this is Etude House, so the Color in Liquid Lips comes packaged with a fanciful, princess-y feel, with cute, girly lip motifs.


There are 20 shades of Color in Liquid Lips in all, but I have 5 of them here, ranging from orange-based shades, to pink-based shades, and to reds. So far, they seem to be getting good reviews from other bloggers, so I thought I should get around to reviewing these too!


Etude House Color in Liquid Lips: A melted lipstick with intense colour and shine
Of course, I wouldn't be a good blogger if I didn't have swatches and reviews for you, right? But, because I'm something of an ingredients geek, let's start by dissecting the ingredients in this product! I promise it's more interesting than it sounds!
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Vecua Honey is a Japanese brand that is sort of like a cuter, girlier, Asian version of Burt's Bees. Both brands have makeup, skincare, and body care products, both brands have a natural angle, and both brands feature bees and their byproducts prominently in their advertising. For instance, their latest line of lipglosses, the Honey Luster Lip Gloss, is marketed as being part honey serum, part lipgloss.

As it so happens, I've just reviewed a product that also featured another bee by-product, propolis, as its key ingredient. I swear it's coincidence. I didn't plan it, but after the science and research-heavy skincare post, I felt like a swatch post was next, just to give me a breather. It just so happened that the swatches were of another honey product, so that part was coincidental.



Anyway, the lipglosses are quite cool-looking when you first get them - they are dual-phase, so there is a yellow-gold layer of honey serum on the top half, and the bottom half is the lipgloss colour. Of course, as you use the lipgloss, the two phases get mixed together, until in the end you get just one homogenous phase throughout. The price of the lipgloss also isn't cheap - in Westgate's Tokyu Hands shop, the pricetag was SGD$51.40 for a lipgloss, which gave me sticker shock. On the Vecua Honey website, however, it lists the price as SGD$48.


Vecua Honey also has a range of other makeup products - above is a small blush and a solid perfume, in addition to the Honey Luster Lipgloss (the shade I have is Honey). And like Burts Bees, the products are also often advertised to have some botanical or bee-product ingredients inside. Anyway, on to the swatches!
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