YSL VoxBox Review

I'm thrilled to receive the YSL VoxBox* from Influnster and the two products I'm reviewing today is the YSL Touche Eclat Blur Primer and Blur Perfector. If you are not familiar with Influenster, it is a product discovery platform and review site that helps people to find and try new product so you can make better decision when purchasing products. Check out more here. 

YSL Touch EClat Blur Primer  

“The First radiance boosting primer. Formulated with four nourishing oils, skin is left incredibly soft without greasy residue. Immediately pores look diminished, skin feels smoother and skin tone is more even and luminous.”

                                                                                                           ——description from YSL website

 Out of the box I see this primer has micro golden shimmer and it is very obvious and sparkly under indoor lighting. First impression on hand is that is has a silky smooth texture, just like a gel primer has that velvety feel. It goes on skin very nicely and it's transparent. It acts like a filler, my pores does looks less obvious and it resurface the skin, making it soft and smooth, getting it ready for foundation. It also get rid of excess shine, even though it's not claiming to mattifying but I do see my foundation stays better and lasts longer. The golden shimmer brings lights to the skin, the finish look is you get the subtle radiance without any shiny or oily feeling. 

Final thoughts, I think this is a very good primer for diminishing pores and prolong foundation wear time, It brings right amount of radiance but doesn't leave any residue. I don't think it even outs skin tone like it claims and price-wise, 30ml retails for $52 plus tax.  

 YSL Touche Eclat Blur Perfector

"The first blur on-the-go. Instantly transforms from a balm to a powder to sweep away shine and imperfections. This multi-action balm-powder acts like a transparent foundation and helps perfect the complexion. Adding a touch a rosy glow, and can be used as: 1. alone as an all-over complexion perfector, 2. to set makeup, 3.as a mattifying touch up during the day."

                                                                                                        ——description from YSL website

I have to mention the packaging of this product, becasue it is so elegant, gorgeous and luxurious looking. The pink and gold combination is absolutely stunning. It comes with a sponge and a pouch for carrying around. Moving on to the product, this balm has a baby pink color also contains micro golden shimmer , just like the blur primer. It feels very smooth and glides thinly, no need to worry about a heavy hand when applying. I use it as a finishing product to set my face, it sure did transform to a powder like texture and mattifying my makeup. It comes with a sponge but I only tested with my hand. I don't know if the sponge will pick up the product or not but I'm so worried that it will move my base makeup so I think fingers are good for now. 

Final thoughts on the blur perfector: beautiful packaging, works well as a primer or setting product for foundation getting rid of shine and mattifying the skin, extend foundation wear time. If you have dry skin I think you don't need to use both product at the same time. Price-wise, it is 0.33oz. for $55 plus tax.

Final thoughts on the YSL VoxBox: I really enjoy using these two new products from YSL, I appropriated the chance to testing it out and sharing my thoughts on these products so people would make better decision when purchasing them. 

 daytime, under indoor lighting

 daytime, facing natural lights

Thanks for reading.comment if you have any questions.

Ree

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*products  received for reviewing and testing purposes, all comments are mine and 100% honest.

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April Favorites | 2015

I have a little bit of everything for the month of April, skin care, makeup, hair but majority of them is from one brand, L'oreal. What a coincidence!
Starting from the skin care category, I only have one favorite this month and it's the Body Shop Vitamin E Overnight Serum-in-oil. My skin doesn't like oils, I've learned that after trying the clarins facial oil, fresh seaberry oil, ole henriksen, etc. Until I met this one by the body shop. This vitamin E overnight serum is a miracle on my skin. It's not greasy or oily, very light and doesn't take long to sink in. The result is I woke up with better skin every morning if I put this on at night. My overall complexion is much brighter, looks like I was well-rested even when I wasn't. 

Makeup favorites of the months first is the L'oreal True Match Natural Mineral concealer. This isn't new, I had this for a very long time and I totally forgot about it. It is the best powder for setting concealer under the eyes, It adds coverage, brightens and sets everything in place. No need to worry about creasing or fading, it helps my concealer lasts all day. It is probably discontinued, but I think you can still find it online. 

Next item is the Lo'real Brow Stylist Plumper Brow Gel Mascara. I was very excited to get this because I've read great review and I really in need of a brow mascara to fix my sparse brows. I like that it tinted the brows, very easy to use and will set the brow in place. It contain fibers but very very tiny so it doesn't adds more hair to my brows.  I will use a brow pencil to fill in my brows then finishing it with this mascara. It definitely makes my brows looks fuller and make the color last all day. 

For lip product of the month, it must be the Jordana Easyliner for lips. I really like this brand, it is super inexpensive, easy to get and they often have some great products, like their Best Lash Mascara .  Their lip liner is the best you can find in the drugstore. They have many different shades from nudes to pinks and reds. It's retractable, great color payoff, stay on well and it costs like $2 each.  I have three different shades Baby Berry, Tawny, Sedona Red. My favorite out of the three is Baby Berry. For the past month, I like to pair it with the Rimmel Lip Lacquer in Nova in the center of the lips, it creates a nice gradient effect. 

Last but not least, the hair product of the month is the L'oreal Blow Dry It Quick Dry Primer Spray. This is a really great find of the month. This serves as a heat protection spray and a primer spray for hair styling. I feel like it helps shorten the blow dry time but not a significant difference. It does makes my hair very soft and more manageable, it also smells good.

That's it for the all the favorites for the month of April. Thanks for reading.

Jordana Easyliner for lips in baby berry, Rimmel Lip Lacquer in Nova

Ree

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Battle of the CC Creams (alba, Yes to Grapefruit, Lumene)

Hello, today I want to do a comparison post of three CC creams that I have recently tried. CC creams aren't new to me, they came out to the market after BB cream which are very popular beauty balms that initially for use on face after beauty surgery.They claim to help even out skin, cover up imperfections and maintain skin moisture. Personally, I would prefer Korean brand CC cream and BB cream just because they suits my skin better and they offers more in terms of shades, coverage. But they are not so convenient to get in the U.S so when western brands came out with their CC and BB creams, I am very excited and eager to try.
In this post, I am focusing on three CC creams that are more on the natural side.

Claims to do:
alba Botanica Even Advanced CC Cream is a 6-in-1 color correction CC cream. Claims to even, correct, brighten, protect, hyrate and smooth skin. It's 100% vegetarian ingredients and with spf 15.
Yes to Grapefruit Correct & Repair CC Cream claims to corrects and hydrates skin, helps improving the looks of fine lines, wrinkles, uneven skin tone, dryness, offers radiance and luminosity to the skin. It's 95% natural ingredients and spf 18.
Lumene Time Freeze Anti-aging CC Cream is also a 6-in-1 product. It claims to help protects against aging, norishes, hyrates and illunimates skin and offers to cover imperfections, even out skin tones. It's formulate with natural ingredients, without parabens, mineral oil, etc. and has spf 20.

Packaging and Shade Selection:
CC cream usually doesn't offer much for shades selection. They mostly has two shades available, light and medium to choose from. Most CC cream are lightly tinted with color so they can accommodates with most skin color. These three products also each have two shades available. I find the Yes to Grapefruit one runs a little darker.  Packaging wise, the Yes to Grapefruit one comes with a pump, the others come in a tube.
I am NC 15-20 in terms of shades, the Lumene CC Cream matches me the best. The other two are a bit darker for me but not too obvious on face.

Texture, Coverage and Finish: 
All three has cream like texture, not too thick or runny,  very easy to apply and blend evenly.  The Yes to Grapefruit one has a great texture, creamy and feels very velvety when applying. It does not feel oily or heavy, the finish is skin like. It doesn't provides much coverage but it does eases dullness and brightens up skin tone. The alba one feels more moist on the skin and as you blend it in it became a thicker consistency. It doesn't offer any coverage, the finish is dewier but natural as well. I don't see much of a difference before and after. The texture of the Lumene cc cream is the lightest of the three, apply super smooth and seamlessly to the skin. It feels incredibly light and covers pores, redness and imperfections instantly. I say it has a medium coverage and buildable. The finish is matte but very natural, not flat looking.

L to R: alba Botanica Even Advanced CC Cream in fair to light,  Yes to Grapefruit Correct & Repair CC Cream in lgiht, Lumene Time Freeze Anti-aging CC Cream in light

Lasting Power and Skin Benefits:

The lumene cc cream keeps me oil free the entire day. It does not wear off or oxidize on me after long hours and it wears beautifully throughout the day. The Yes to Grapefruit cc cream holds up pretty well keeping my skin looking good but I can't wear it alone. I need more coverage for spots and redness so I will add powder or concealer on top and I also need to touch up during the day. The alba cc cream wears just like a moisturizer, I don't see or feel any difference. Again it's not good enough for me to wear it alone.

Skin care wise, all three cc creams feels very comfortable. It doesn't irritates or break me out. My skin problem doesn't seem to get worse after wearing them. The cc cream does act like a moist barrier keeping my skin from drying out. My skin turns better after skipping foundation for couple of days, but I don't think  cc cream is the main reason for that.

Final Thoughts：

Out of the three, I think you can tell the Lumene Time Freeze Anti-aging CC Cream is the winner. It is my current favorite base and I really enjoy it. It's good enough to cover my imperfections and redness, the finish is semi matte and looks super natural. The other two just doesn't offer enough in my opinion. Even though I don't expect it wears and covers like a foundation but I think at least it should offers more in terms of color, coverage and tone corrections. 

I think sheer cc cream has its own market, for people that has sensitive skin and for those who doesn't like to wear full face of makeup on the daily basis. It does offer SPF and tone correction to enhance natural skin and get rid of dullness. 

That's it for today, hope you find it helpful. Thanks for reading!

❤

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May Beauty Favorites | 2014

May is definitely a great month for me. Weather is nice in New York, I finished school and I get to try a lot of beauty stuff. Today I have the most used and absolute favorite items to share with you, hope you enjoy.
For skin and body, first I have the Eucerin Gentle Hydrating Cleanser. If you read my blog you know I have just did a post about this product. I absolutely love this cleanser for sensitive skin. Its gentle and clean really well, doesn't irritates or makes my skin dry after wash. The second item I have is the alba Un-petroleum Multi-purpose Jelly. I also have done a post in the past about this item. This is a multi functional product. You can use it on your lips, face or body, basically anywhere you want for moisture. I happen to love it most for removing eye makeup. It does the job wonderfully, removing everything even the most difficult waterproof mascara and eyeliner.  What I like to do is get a little bit jelly on my fingers and rub it around the eye area, concentrate on the lash line and lashes. Then I take a cotton pad wipe it off. The last item is the Coconut body butter from Trader Joe's. I discovered this from the blog Sarah loves makeup and I have been using it non stop after I got it, it is just so good. I like the coconut scent, not too strong or too sweet. I also like how it applys to the skin. It spreads very easily and absorb well. It doesn't feel heavy or sticky at all, skin feels instantly refreshed and moisturized.

Moving on to the makeup, First of all I have to mention the Stila Color Me Pretty Lip & Cheek Palette. I actually got it not long ago and haven't been using it for the whole month, but I absolutely love it, so I have to include this in this month's favorites. The color payoff is great, all the color in the palette is beautiful and wearable.  I have posted a swatches on my Instagram you can check it out but I will do a full review on this blog later.

Next makeup item I am loving this month is the Revlon Highlighting Palette in rose glow. I have done a blog post on that as well, so you can go get more info if you want. In my opinion, it is a gorgeous little palette that is just so pretty to look at and of course to put on. The next item is an old favorites of mine, it is the L'oreal True Match Gentle Mineral Concealer. I really like the L'oreal true match line, I have the powder and the concealer. The concealer is really great for setting under eye area and it brightens very well. I'm not sure if this is a discontinued item, but I have already got a few backups from Big lots. The next item I want to include is the Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara. I got a deluxe sample size one from the Sephora Favorite kit. The mascara in that set is all very good but I have been particularly loving this one. I found a lot of high end mascara that does lengthening and thickening can be very clumpy and wet, but this one is not. It still has the ability to separate the lashes and it's not super wet.

The last favorites of the month is the Ecotools Eye Enhancing Duo Set.  I am really debating when it comes to double ended brushes and I never found one that has all the brush shapes that I want with good quality. This one is very close to my desire and I have been using them everyday now. I say these four brush shapes are all very practical for applying eye shadows and liner, the only complain I have is that I wish the blending brush is bigger and fluffier so that it can cover bigger area and blend everything nicely.

That's everything for the month of May, thanks for reading.  

❤

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Revlon Highlighting Palette in Rose Glow

Revlon Hightlighting Palette 020 Rose Glow

This Revlon palette is a late discovery for me, I haven't been to the drugstore very often until recently so  certainly I missed some great products and this is definitely one of them. The minute I saw this on the Revlon display, I know I have to have it. The packaging is sleek and chic, the color combination in this palette is just so pretty. (You don't often see that in a drugstore product) Initially, I did not realize this is a highlight. I am not a fan of highlight and I rarely buy highlighting products because they lasts forever, but this one is so different and I already plan in my mind that I can use this for other things, such as eye shadow or blush so I grab it without any further thoughts. 

As you can see, this palette has five shades in the pan and colors ranging from peachy shades to pinks. They all contains different levels amount of shimmer, the top, bottom and middle shades are quite shimmery, has a lot of big sparkle in it. The other two shades are satin finish.  The texture of these colors are very nice and smooth, it has decent amount of pigmentation, one sweep on the cheek can definitely be noticeable. The five shades together gives a very pretty shimmery rosey color, not to bright or too sparkly. I think it's wearable as highlight, but if you don't like sparkles and shimmers on your face at all, this is not for you.  I have also tried using these shades selectively as eye shadows, and highlight for the brow bone, it turns out pretty good too. So in all I am very happy with this little palette.  

❤

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Sephora Favorites Kits

I recently got two limited edition makeup kits from Sephora, they were $25 each, both from the sephora favorites line. One is the Meet Your Match, the other is the Lash Stash To Go. I always love kits and sets from sephora, I think they are great value and you get to try several different products. These little kits are so nicely packaged and I love the bright color combination. Besides my purchases, I also received some perfume samples, which is a bonus.

The Meet Your Match kit has three nail polishes and matching lip products, all from different brand. I love the idea of matching lips and nails. This kit has a dark pink, a coral and a nude color set. The color selection is very nice in my opinion and I can't wait to try them. 

Bite Beauty lush fruit lip gloss, DeborahLlippmann nail lacquer in girls just want to have fun, Formula X nail color in invinvible, Hourglass extreme sheen high shine lip gloss in child, Nails Inc. devonshire row nail polish, Tarte lip surgence lip tint in elite

The Lash Stash To Go kit contains five sample size mascara. I am most excited about this set because I wanted to try couple of them for very long time. This set also includes a mascara voucher that you can use to get a full size mascara of your choice in this kit from sephora.  This set only cost $25 and a full size Lancome Hypnose mascara is $27. I think it is such a great value. It's like getting these samples for free.

Bare Minrals lash domination volumizing mascara, Lancome hypnose drame mascara, Tarte lights camera lashes 4-in-1 mascara, Blinc Inc. blinc mascara, Too Faced better than sex mascara

I am really enjoy getting these little sets and very excited to try all of them, if you haven't been to sephora recently, I highly recommend you go. They are putting out a lot of new products and cute little gift sets and kits from makeup to skincare and fragrance. Some of the sets I'm interested: SummerStash, Skin Blender Vol. 1

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Recent Loves

Let's start from the makeup category, first I have the hourglass mineral primer. This is my first purchase of hourglass. I wanted to try this primer mainly because it's a mineral product, free of any harsh and chemical ingredients and also because it's a multi-functional product and contains spf 15. It claims concealing redness, minimizing pores and soften fine lines and wrinkles, repels water and creates the perfect surface for flawless makeup. It has a milky watery texture, apply easily on and blend well, left skin soft and velvet feeling. I do see the difference after, my skin tone is a little bit even, pores and imperfection are less obvious, however I didn't notice it has the ability to conceal redness. I do see the difference after makeup though, it controls oil well during the day and my makeup does last to the end of the day.

Next I have two products from essence, the crazy volume mascara and stays no matter what eye pencil & shadow in whipped white frosting. The shadow pencil has a great texture to it, easy to apply and blend. The color is pigmented and vibrant, shimmer but not glittery. It stays put all day without fading, I like to use it under the brow bone, as highlight, in the corner of the eyes and as a shadow base.
 I've heard good things about essence's mascara, between the green one and the pink one I picked the pink which is the extreme one to try. It has both pros & cons, but consider the fabulous result it gives and the unbelievable low price, I think it's a keeper. It gives a lot volume and length, extremely dark black, and the brush design makes it can brush out really thick and long lashes, like you're wearing falsies. I really like the look it gives, it's thicker at the roots and fan out at the top, lashes are still soft to touch and light weight. The cons: it can get a little messy if you have short lashes, like me, it can clump together but brush out the extra product on the wand before using will help.

Then I have the Rimmel Scandal Eyes Waterproof Eye Liner in sparkling black. I think everybody know they are great, nice texture, stays without smudging or transferring, affordable. I usually prefer to use liquid liner, but I really like the effects the pencil gives. I like to smudge it with a brush to create a softer look and also I like to use it with a liquid liner on top for a intense look. The glitter in it will show and it's really beautiful contrast to the dark black.
The last product in this category I want to mention is the Sally Hansen Colorfast tint and moisture balm. I think these came out after the Revlon one's and which is why they got neglected since the market is already filled with similar products. I personally really like these, I use it more often than other lip products. The color I have here is 15 Made Me Blush, I love this one out of all the color selection they had. Like other lip tint & moisture balm, it wears comfortable on lips, very thin and moisturizing. The reason I adore this one beside this color is that it sets very quickly, last incredibility long, even the surface color wear off during the day the tint color stays on so I won't end up with bare lips, and they cost far less than Revlon or other brand.

Moving on the skin and body care, I have two products. The Clarins Tonic Body treatment oil and the alba multi-purpose jelly. Clarins is the brand that I wanted to try for the longest time, I'm most interested of their body products. This body oil contains 100% pure plant extracts, I use it almost everyday for firming and moisturizing. It absorbs well into the skin, even though I'm not a fan of the smell but it isn't overwhelming. It feels calm and comfortable afterwards and it kept my skin super silky soft.
The alba multi-purpose jelly is a must have for dry skin during cold reason I think. It's 100% vegetarian, safe to use all over the body, even on face. I use it for my lips overnight and anywhere on my body that is extra dry or itchy. It has a very very thick texture to it, doesn't have any scent to it.

Sally Hansen Colorfast tint & moisture balm 15 Made Me Blush, Rimmel Scandal Eyes Waterproof Eye Liner in sparkling black, essence stays no matter what eye pencil & shadow in whipped white frosting

❤

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