Friday 24 January 2014

Pucker up - Canmake Stay-On Balm Rouge

I envy ladies who can work solid colours on their lips. I really do! Some may say that I have full lips that should be emphasized...but I really can't.... (>__<) And therefore, I have an overflowing arsenal of nude lipsticks, lipglosses and lipbalms. And that's what I'm sharing today~

The Canmake Stay-On Balm Rouge:

Retails S$19.90 at Watsons
Comes in 6 colours (colour description from canmake.com):

01 - Rosier Rose; A delicate, pretty rose pink
02 - Smily Gerbera; A bright, stylish orange
03 - Tiny Sweetpea; A pure red that highlights your complexion
04 - Savonly Lily; A coral beige that blends in beautifully. classical and a casual look (That's mine)
05 - Flowing Cherry Petal; A pink that offers a short-cut to girlishness
06 - Sweet Clematis; Pink Beige which we can use without choosing a sence


Summed up, this is a coloured lipbalm. Containing no UV absorbers, this stick delivers a comfortable layer of protective balmy colour with ingredients like macadamia oil, rosehip oil, grapeseed oil, pomegranate oil, honey, shea butter, royal jelly extract etc. For you ladies who're big on SPF for your lips though, this product has only SPF 11 and PA+ so maybe layer it with your SPF30 lipbalm? I layered mine a couple times with my Maybelline Dr Rescue lipbalm and it was fine.

Anyway, I got this on my last Japan trip for around 600 yen (about S$10) so it's actually really really cheap! The amount of product is really good too, just slap it on and don't worry about it running out soon =D The next picture should give you an idea of the size...

As you can see, it's not one of those dinky little tubes~




The only gripe I have about this it the shape...would've preferred it to be an angled stick like lipstick but that's a really really small issue ^_^ Swatch time!


It looks darker on the stick but goes on really nice, balmy & sheer. A couple more shots just so you can get an idea of the sheen & balminess...


When I first applied it, my lips were a tad dry and at first I felt like it was highlighting the drier patches on my lip but after a few minutes, the balm settled in and it looked great!

Light colour but totally covers up my darker outer lip shade!

My darker outer lip bothers me to no end so it's instant love when I get a lipbalm that helps even the colour out. There's a very slight/fine shimmer in the pigment that's hardly noticeable so it makes for a nice natural lip sheen.


In a nutshell, the Canmake Stay-On Balm Rouge
  • is an easy go-to option for sheer as well as richer yet balmy colours with basic SPF 11 PA+ lipcare
  • comes in a pretty plastic casing with a firm cap (no accidents!)
  • amount of product allows for lavish usage =P
  • balm take a minute or 2 to set in and pretty up your lips if they're running abit dry/chapped; will probably not be sufficient for severely dry or chapped lips
  • feels light on the lips; no sticky icky feeling
  • the colour is only slightly buildable for this shade; layering brings up a glossier sheen
  • staying power for this shade is decent; light tapping will remove some sheen but colour holds up ok; touchups required to maintain a 'made-up' look though
  • 2 thumbs up for au-naturale looks =D

Overall, I really like this balm rouge and I'm looking forward to my next trip so I can buy try the richer colours like Tiny Sweetpea! ლ(´◉❥◉`ლ)

Thursday 16 January 2014

Nuxe Aroma-Perfection Purifying Cleansing Gel, Hello!

I'm not sure if you guys remember but I stopped using cleansers when I rediscovered the awesome cleansing and skin-balancing properties of the konjac sponge in Nov 2012. I really feel that not using cleansers 90% of the time helped my skin to regain its natural balance and got my skin back to a..how shall I say...neutral ground? Like I got a fresh look at my real skin type y'know? =P I hope I'm making sense here.

It's been almost a year since I had a regular facial cleanser into my routine so I figured it was time to reintroduce one to my routine. Since there was some salicylic acid in the ingredients mix, I settled on the Purifying Cleansing Gel from the Nuxe Aroma-Perfection range~

S$42/200ml at the usual drugstores/pharmacies/dept stores

Although its just a tad pricey, Nuxe is quite often on 20% off during sales so that brings the price down by almost S$10! *thumbs up*

Here's a look at the back of the bottle and ingredients list:


'Clears pores and eliminates excess sebum while respecting the skin (soap-free, mild surfactants). Morning or night, work into a lather on damp skin then rinse off. Avoid contact with eyes.
Without paraben.'


After switching toners from Legere to DHC, my sebum clog-prone jawline was still experiencing the occasional clog so I was hoping that a cleanser would complete the job. The Nuxe Purifying Cleansing Gel comes in a regular pump dispenser that's abit on the stiff side so it travels safely without leakage.

I usually use about 1 to 1 1/2 pumps....this is the amount you get from 1 pump:


The instructions say to work into a lather on damp skin. For awhile I couldn't figure out how to foam it...applying it to a damp face only resulted in a thinned out gel with zero foam. Then I realized that I need to foam it in my palm first~ Just rub the gel and a little water semi-violently around the palm of your hand with a couple of fingers and you should get a thin foam that looks like this:


Conventional knowledge will tell you that gel cleansers are better for combination oily skin types but I was skeptical as I'd previously tried the Perfect Gel cleanser (Kose) and didn't like it because it seemed to leave an invisible layer of something on my face and didn't do anything for the sebum production...

But Nuxe totally did it for me. The lather washes off great and doesn't leave any dry or tight feeling. My jawline was completely clear within 2 weeks of usage and I use it maybe 4 days of the week to prevent overcleansing~ I'm about 2 months into the bottle and my jawline is PRISTINE. Not a single, tiny clog, I swear. I also notice an overall less oily complexion =)

So basically, the Nuxe Purifying Cleansing Gel:
  • at S$42, is on the slightly higher price end of drugstore products but there's always drugstore sales to take advantage of
  • 200ml bottle should last 3 to 4 months (I'm about 2 months into my bottle and have about 1/2 left)
  • clean-looking white plastic pump dispenser bottle; doesn't over-dispense and easy to travel with
  • soap-free, paraben-free, mild surfactants, contains salicylic acid & zinc.
  • thin lather washes off well and leaves no dry or tight afterfeel.
  • worked well in sebum control and delivered fairly quick results with regular use
  • results: zero sebum clogs on my clog-prone jawline and an overall less oily complexion
So glad that I didn't have to go through a few different cleansers before settling on this one! It was really a lucky on-a-whim purchase! (^_^)

Thursday 2 January 2014

Belated New Year Greetings!

I'm a day or 2 late but~

HAPPY NEW YEAR~~~~ ヾ(@^▽^@)ノ
 
What were you up to on new years eve? Relaxing with loved ones in the cool year-end weather or partying the night away? =D Either way, I hope you had a lovely night!
 
Yours truly? I was home with a most unglamorous cold! (and still am. =_=)
 
I wanted to recall 2013 in a single wonderful day...and it would have to be...
 
Tokyo Disneyland 30th Anniversary 2013!!
Yeah!!! Tokyo Disneylandddddd~~~~!!!! Because I'm a 4 year-old trapped in an adult body~~~!! The last time I was there, I was 1 year old. Now 30 years later, just in time for Tokyo Disney's big 3-0~ I had such fun there, it really really felt like I was a kid again and everything in the world was happy and easy and all smiles & laughter. (Screw you adulthood.) Looking forward to my next trip cos I'm hoping to bring the husband there~ (^_^)
 
So moving on, what's your resolution this year hmm? Mine's an oldie but a goodie. It's part of my resolution every year =P
 
This year, I resolve to~~~ NOT SPEND SO MUCH.
 
Yes. My goal is to prevent THIS (sohelpmegod) :
 
 
...from happening again. And again and again. >___<
 
But seriously, my flat will be ready around end 2014 so I really need to tighten them purse strings abit...... After all the year end expenditure, what with X'mas and all....just bought new Furla specs...upcoming holiday in June (no prizes for guessing where to)....ohh mann....*deflates*
 
Umm...I also resolve to eat less carbs. *coughs*
 
(。^_^。 )人( 。^_^。) Hope we all have a good 2014~~!!! (。^_^。 )人( 。^_^。)