Paul & Joe and Gransenbon

I got the Paul & Joe Loose Powder in #02 Vanille and Pressed Powder in #02 Vanille from an online seller who bought it at the earlier prestige sales. Prestige Products Distribution is the company selling Givenchy, Loewe parfums and Paul & Joe cosmetics in SG. They held a warehouse sales during end Nov and I missed it. Glad i got it cheap online - loose powder at $35 and pressed powder at $25. I think it was going for $23 for loose powder and even cheaper for the pressed powder at the sales. But counter price for loose powder is $77.

This is the older version of the loose powder. the newer version has an 'N' after the product name. But I think the shade should be the same. The pressed powder is a translucent shade, with obvious fine shimmers. very nice, but wonder if it will make me look like a glitter ball if i use it all over my face for touch-ups.

The casings come in a very romantic nude shade, with the brand's signature chrysanthemum motifs embossed onto the iridescent plastic. It feels very "solid" but they're not heavy. Tthese 2 are my 3rd and 4th Paul & Joe items. My first 2 are birthday gifts from 2 different buddies on 2 different yrs. What's funny is, they don't know each other but they bought me the SAME lip gloss in the exact SAME shade.

I got my 2nd pc of gransenbon blush in blossom pink #7 from watsons. It's a discontinued shade in Japan. Once it's sold out in SG, it will never be replenished. So, get it while you can...
My first pc was bought from an online seller, who got it from Japan. So i was quite lucky to have owned it. So what happened to the first pc? My sis looked really pretty in it, so i gave mine to her.

Blossom Pink #7 - it's a really pretty pressed pink blush with gold shimmers. Shimmers are quite obvious, so some find it a tad too shimmery and unsuitable for skin with big pores.

Mom says I've got only 1 face but way too much cosmetics.

Shiseido Sales

The sale was madness. I queued for an hour plus, 1-2pm+ and left at 3pm. The selection of maquillage eyeshadow palettes was good. about 6-7 palettes were on sale. As for ettusais, they were all old products, but expiry was like 2011 or 2012, so it was okay. I bought a few items only, which actually was because i didn't want to leave empty handed since i queued for soo long!

I got the maquillage Shiny Design Powder at $20, Ettuisais lip essence at $10, Night Protect Powder set at $10 and the refill at $8.

However, i look forward to next yr's shiseido's sales and I intend to take leave to chiong to the sales. :)

Benefit Sale

I went to the Benefit Sale at Marriott Hotel but nothing much was left. This is one of the worst sales i ever been to. I could count the no. of products available on the tables.

It's very orderly though. Went home with 1 lipstick!

I bought Watson's Bird's Nest Masks, it was the last box at Causeway Pt's watson's. $9.95 for 6 masks, with 30ml of essence in each sachet. =)

Gransenbon in SG

Wow! This is real good news. Gransenbon finally launched in SG yesterday at Watsons, Ngee Ann City. It's selling at $29.90 each. Only 8 shades are available, including the discontinued #7.

Check out Rougedeluxe's latest post!

I personally own 2 of gransenbon blushers, both of which are discontinued in Japan already. #7 Blossom Pink and #8 Pretty Orange. Wonderful pigment, beautiful shimmers = great blusher. This blusher comes in a compact case with mirror and a brush compartment. The brush it comes with is ultra soft and of good quality.

Mac Mineralize Skinfinish in Petticoat

MAC Petticoat: Pale rose with gold and amber veining

This much desired petticoat which i paid a hefty price for through ebay. The veinings are extremely beautiful, you can actually see the gold veining at the right hand side.

I've been lusting after this Mac MSF for 2 yrs and counting. Finally when MAC decided to re-promote this under the Sheer Minerals collection, they also announced that due to the limited pieces available, this MSF shade will not make it to asia shores. Hence I bought it off ebay from a US seller.

BB Creams Review #2 - Dr. G

Hi, i've gone on a trip to HK few mths ago and came back with the much discussed Dr. G Hydra Intensive Blemish Balm SPF 30 PA++. It costs HK$232 which coverts to about SGD$40 or so. They actually have another bb cream called Brightening Balm SPF 30 PA++. I don't know what's the difference between the both of them but i reckon one is highly moisturising and the other has got some face brightening formula as it states on the packaging that it contains arbutin. However, both ingredients labels are identical. So I kind of suspect they are the same thing, perhaps hydra intensive is the older version and brightening balm is the newer version or vice versa. I'm not sure. However, i read some reviews online that the brightening balm is much preferred for it's brightening properties compared to hydra intensive. Does that mean they are not the same thing afterall? Tell me if you've tried it.

I bought my bottle of brightening balm from sasa for $43. Reasonable, considering the price of the other Dr G bb cream i got from HK. But i won't be opening it up any time soon since i have some 10 bottles lying in my cabinet.

Review for Dr. G Hydra Intensive Blemish Balm SPF 30 PA++
Shade: It's a little too grayish. For girls like me who belong to the more yellowish skin tone finds it a little of a mis-match. Luckily, it's minor and blends in well after a while.
Look: It's not really matte, not dewy either. It's a little thicker than the other bb creams, coverage is somewhat like scandal and dodo club.
Oil Control: Oil control is fantastic. It's not drying either. Sometimes i skip the use of my biore UV face coz i don't need the oil control for this bb cream. Finishing it off with powder or not
Remarks: The consistency is extremely creamy, like chocolate ice cream. it's extremely easy to blend and spread. Because of the medium coverage, i don't even need much product. This comes in a 60ml tube, pretty big for a bb cream.

BB Creams Review

I'm a NC25-30 for reference. I'm probably a NC27 (if it exists) Combi/dehydrated skin. Tends to get very oily in air-conditioned office. Makeup also tends to oxidises on me so i usually don't mind wearing my base in 1 shade lighter.

BB cream has a tendency to blend into most skintones after an hr or so. Hence it usually comes in 1 or 2 shades and should suit most fair to medium girls. I'm between a medium fair girl. usually the 2nd or 3rd fairest shade in foundations will suit me as my skin is pretty asian yellow. luckily, most bb creams suits me. Probably except for Hanskin and Feverlet as i heard they are suitable to NC15-20. All the oil control verdict is based on the application of the respective BB cream and MAC loose powder or Chacott loose powder.


SkinFood Gingko Green BB cream
Shade: #2. Suits me well. Medium coverage.
Look: Non-matte and gives a healthy glow.
Oil Control: No oil control for me. Face turns oily 2-3 hrs after applying this. Have to use Skinfood white grape makeup fixer to control the oil. If i don't, makeup simply oxidises, turns oily and once i blot, everything is gone. Got this in SG store for SGD34.80 iirc. My 1st bb cream.

SkinFood Aloe Sun BB Cream SPF 20 PA+
Shade: #1. A little fair for me. People says yellow-toned girls should use #1, so i got this shade. Blends in after a while coz as i said, bb creams can 'adapt' to your skintone.
Look: Non-matte but not as glowy as Gingko. Medium coverage.
Oil Control: Good, but not great. Face turns oily but not as bad as when i was using Gingko. Use white grape makeup fixer and makeup last a lot longer. Believed this is fragranced because it smells so aloe and nice! Best smelling bb cream i ever owned. Got this in KL for like SGD24 in Jan 08. Will consider getting a backup...if i run out of it.

dodo club BB Cream
Shade: Came through as a darker shade, probably coz the texture is pretty thick. But no issues with blendability for me. Spreading a thin layer and I get medium-high coverage. Suits my skintone too. Go easy on the quantity u squeeze out at a time. Really need very little for this.
Look: Non-matte, not glowy either. Just evens out skintone.
Oil Control: Oil control is pretty good when i use it with chacott professional loose powder. I don't reach out for this bb cream much because i read it contains mineral oil. However, because it's less than $18 and there is 60ml of product, i bought it. Although it says it contains sun care, there is no stated SPF on it. So i still wear sunblock with it.
Remarks: actually, this is the only bb cream i want to sell off and is listed on my sale list now. I won't recommend this bb cream...since i've tried better ones.

Scandal Magic BB Cream
Shade: Dark and grayish. But upon application, doesn't gives a contrasting shade against my neck. Seems to blend in well surprisingly after half hour. This will probably be able to suit NC35 and above as well.
Look: Absolutely no dewy, radiant look. Does even out skintone but note it may still make your face look dull because of the dark gray shade.
Oil Control: Fantastic. Of all my bb creams, this has the best oil control and i like wearing this even though it doesn't brighten up my complexion. Oddly, i feel that it smells like laundry detergent. But this doesn't bother me. 50ml for abt $16 at sasa.

Coogi flowertox 3action super BB Cream SPF25 PA++
Shade: Slight pinkish tone. Perfect match for me! boyfriend thought i'm not wearing any makeup. Medium coverage.
Look: Slightly dewy, very natural.
Oil Control: Great! Pretty decent compared to Scandal. Just perhaps not as good as Scandal by a wee bit. Use White grape makeup fixer and makeup will last the whole day. No issues!
Remarks: This is my favourite BB cream of the lot. Nice fragrance and blends perfectly! I can even skip sunblock when i wear this. This is the only bb cream i will want to repurchase. In fact, i'm looking for a backup already. Wouldn't want to run out of it. I think this is one BB Cream everyone who wears bb cream should own! I have this in 30ml. It's available in 50ml. Not avail. in SG, made in Korea. I really LOVE this bb cream!

SKIN79 dermaRX whitening Beblesh balm SPF 15
Shade: Slightly dark, yellow-tone, suits me well, not perfect. Low medium coverage. Spreads very thinly as the consistency is quite runny compared to other bb creams which are more towards creamy.
Look: Slightly matte. No dewy, radiant look.
Oil Control: Ok. Not bad..so-so. I think this contains tea tree oil from what i read online. Has a medicinal tea tree oil smell. It's more watery than any BB cream i ever tried and dries fast, so fingers got to be fast in blending when applying this bb cream.
Remarks: Had tried to put this on salelist before as i wasn't impressed with this. But decided to retract as it's not too bad a bb cream. Good for times when i feel lazy to put on sunblock or have raging pimples. Got it $34.80 from yahoo auctions. Not avail. in SG, made in Korea.

Etude House Magic BB Cream SPF30 PA++
Shade: looks a little more bisque and orangy than other bb creams. low coverage. spreads thinly as well. Same consistency with SkinFood aloe.
Look: Slightly dewy, radiant look.
Oil Control: No oil control. Supposed to be moisturising..perhaps that's why. I've ran out of MAC loose powder by this time and i've only use chacott loose powder with this. Chacott is supposed to control oil very well. But this BB cream still gives me problems with oil control. I have not tried it with white grape makeup fixer yet but it's quite a disappontment....i had high hopes for it. Not avail. in SG, made in Korea.

Missha M Watery BB Cream SPF27 PA+++
Shade: Darker than usual bb creams. looks dark medium shade to me when i squeeze it out onto my palm. Probably able to fit a NC35 or perhaps a NC40.
Look: matte. Cooling and light upon application. Coverage is medium. very smooth blending....not sure is it because i'm using Biore facial sunblock SPF50PA+++.
Oil-Control: i used it with chacott powder today coz i had something to attend to and needed to blot as little as possible. SURPRISE! I needed to do no blotting at all!
Remarks: Oddly, not sure is it because it's very watery in consistency, the 50g product is very light in it's bottle. either the seller trick me and squeeze some out before selling it to me or it's really as light as it is. Not avail. in SG, made in Korea.

Lioele Beyond The Solutions BB Cream
Shade: medium shade. a teeny weeny fair for me.
Look: matte. feels a little thick. Coverage is medium.
Oil-Control: i used it with chacott powder today coz i had something to attend to and needed to blot as little as possible. but still had a bit of oil by end of day, 6pm. Had to tissue off a bit of oil before i left for home.
Remarks: Not sure if it's because i put on my Biore UV face milk and left it too long without applying my bb cream, my face was really dry and it was difficult to blend the bb cream. this resulted in it settling into my cheeks and nose pores and overall looked like a bad job done! i managed to salvage it by smoothing some toner and mixing some bb cream with moisturiser to re-apply over my cheek. by noon, makeup looked patchy - no surprise coz it's badly made up right from the start. Avail. at John Little in SG. i got it at $26 with postage.

Missha M Shiny BB Cream SPF 27 PA++
Shade: blends in well with my skintone, a teeny weeny fair. Colorwise, it's much better coz Missha M Watery is really too dark.
Look: Shiny, with little specks of silver glitters which is obvious upon up-close inspection. felt it's not as watery as the M water version, hence it has a slightly better coverage.
Oil-Control: Ok, as usual, not able to tell much as i wear a good UV base.
Remarks: Not avail. in SG, made in Korea.

Welcome!

Hi, i'm absolutely delighted to set up this blog to share some reviews of my indulgence in makeup. I don't own a truckload of these toys, but i do read up on lotsa brands and products.

Have good day!