How to: Spot a FAKE Benefit Porefessional

I went to Myers and headed to the Benefit counter to try out a few items. One of them were Pore fessional, when the SA applied it on me it finished with a soft and silky powdery finish. It went on nicely almost translucently (the product that came out of the tube threw me off cause it was beige).

I liked it a lot so when I got home, dumb enough I went on Ebay and brought one off a seller with 6776 star rating. It cost me $25 all up. I took it out and tried some on the back of my hand and tried dabbing it in, it just wouldn't blend in and didn't feel anything like the one at Myers so I started looking online for information about fakes. Apparently Ebay is riddled with fakes even sample ones can be fakes as well.

I brought it to the the Benefit counter to confirm my suspicion  of this being a fake.
The SA at the Benefit counter took out the tester bottle and compared the bottles:
- There were printing discrepancies
- The bottle texture was different
- The bottle is smaller
The product didn't finish to a silky powdery translucent finishing. It didn't fill in any pores and had a lotion/oily finishing that you get with bad foundation.

-  "Minimize" is meant to be in bold
- The curve line is too long where I circled, its meant to stop before where I circled it.

 That says 1S2A the SA said its was wrong its meant to have a V in it sorry I can't really remember the exact details

 Its not turning translucent, even if I try to rub it in.

I saw in another blog that Benefit doesn't dot their "i" instead the "f" flows over the "i"



http://themakeupgal.wordpress.com/2011/07/22/fake-benefit-products/

REVIEW: e.l.f Contouring & Bronzing Powder

Blush - Dusky rose with gold shimmer
It gave me a very nice natural blush when I used it, was pigmented, but it wasn't as finally milled as I would've liked. The lasting property of the blush was about 3-4 hours on me.
The blush didn't break me out so yey!

Bronzer - Taupe with gold shimmer, (the shimmer is barely noticeable once on the skin)
It is very very pigmented a little goes a very long way. I was too heavy handed with the bronzer initially,  because I thought it would have the same pigmentation as the blush, but I was wrong. It looked like I had a mud stain on my face. It looks very nice on medium skin tones and gives the right amount contouring if you don't overload the brush.
Unfortunately this broke me out along my jaw line, its been 3 weeks and I'm still recovering from the cystic acne it caused. I will never go back to this again.

The packaging was quite sturdy and comes with a mirror on the inside. Very compact.

HATE the Bronzer, LOVE the Blush

REVIEW: Stila - Light up the world

Stila - Light up the world

Stila - Light up the world

I recently brought a Stila - Light up the world, Colour trend eye shadow palette from Strawberrynet.com, this is part of the 2011 Spring collection. 

Usually before I buy any product I look up other reviews online for example
Makeup alley and Youtube. What I found on this product was very mixed one of the major concerns was the fallout and amount of pigment in some of the shades, but I went a head and brought it anyway because I have used their tinted moisturiser before and I found it to be perfect for me.

The shades are beautiful bronzes and purples great for all seasons in my own opinion. I found that the shadows were finely milled, but the glitter in it weren’t as small as I would’ve liked. I have tried most of the shades and a few aren’t as pigmented as others, but are still usable.

                   Stila - Light up the world

I found that if you use the brush provided, or a sponge tipped applicator you still get A LOT of fall out. I told my cousin about it and she asked me have I tried using my fingers and proceeded to show me how. She used her fingers to apply it onto my lids. It made the colours more pigmented and I got absolutely no fall out, but the problem was that it then lacked definition, so after piling it on I used the stiff brush provided it to define it. 

This product also creases after 3 hours or so after application even with primer, but I have really oily skin (on hot days I have to blot a few times a day and I use 3 oil tissues each time).  What I did to add extra life to the shadow was to dust a very very light coat of translucent powder over it to set it.

You can also use this wet, but personally I found that it just made some of the shades too cakey. It doesn’t have an over powering smell and I haven’t broken out from it 

The packaging is quite nice, but to me it feels a little flimsy. Its compact and fits into the palm of my hand so I guess it will be great for bags.

REVIEW: Tony Moly Berry Berry Lip Tint

Melted and set

I've been using this Lipstain for about 3 months now for Uni. I've been using this as a part of my "Bare Minimum Look" like I'm not wearing make up at all.

Its easy to apply, looks natural and even though my upper lip is quite pigmented the lip stain still comes through.

Tony Moly BerryBerry magic swatch

Wiped off

Tony Moly BerryBerry Magic - Green Apple
Swatched on a tissue

This range of lip stains comes in Green Apple, Grape and Strawberry. I chose the shade that was in the middle - Green Apple. Its Green in the tub and turns to a very girly pink on the skin. I think it reacts with the users body heat, but fret not I accidentally left this in the car on a 34C degree day, it melted and lost it shape, yet the product inside did not change colour.

Green Apple - Tony Moly BerryBerry Liptint

With out

It's pretty moisturising and shiny when applied, but through the day it gets a little drying. The color seems very sheer, giving you a very nice tint.
When you wipe it off or eat something, it leaves a  noticeable pinkish stain.

It doesn't have a weird taste or one of those fake fragrances like those lipsmackers lipglosses.

A little bit of this goes a long way.

The only con with this product is that its in a tub so its very easy to contaminate.

REVIEW: Interojo Splash One Day 30 pack Contact Lenses (Clear)

Splash One Day - Interojo

I just got my package from Clearlycontact.com last week. I ordered Splash One Day in a pack of 30 lenses. I had to order 2 set  because my eyes are different powers (I got 30 lenses per a pack even though this box says 10, I got 3 box x 10 lenses).

Splash One Day - Interojo

I got each pack for $15 so $1 for a pair of dailies.

These daily contact lenses only come in BC - 8.6 and Dia - 14.2 and the ranges are +6 to -12

I found them to be very comfortable, I usually have very long days. I wore one pair for about 14 hours and I didn't get any dry eyes or irritation. Very breathable and soft.

I usually wear the normal Biofinity monthly contact lenses and I found these to be as comfortable as my monthly ones.

Splash One Day - Interojo

They are very easy to put in and take out, their tinted and its very easy to tell which side is which.

I don't understand what they mean by "High Definition" though, it gave me the same vision as my Biofinity ones or other dailies that I have tried before.

The lenses feel harder than Biofinity lenses, but feel the same as other daily lenses e.g Acuvue or the SpecSaver ones.

This is the first time I have used these dailies before or this brand. I did a Google search of the company and found minimal information. Just that they are a Korean company and have been around for 10 years or so. No bad press either.

Trial ~ Day 3: Revitanail Nail Strengthener

Okay so I'm on my third day of this nail strengthener polish, so far my nails has stopped chipping, but they still feels weak, even with the nail strengthener on.

The drying time of the strengthener is quite fast less than 5 minutes. The finishing is very glossy and shiny.

I'm still very careful not to let the strengthener touch my cuticles, I think if it touches the cuticles it may cause irritation, but I'm not willing to test that out.

 oh well there's still 4 days left til the end of the process.

Trial: Dr Lewinn - Revitanail nail strengthener

My nails are such a wreck, they used to be strong and healthy. Now I can't grow them past 3-4mm without them splitting or chipping. I think it was because of my job previously where I came into contact with Deep Heat at least two times a week. Deep heat apparently contains turpentine oils, which is basically a paint thinner, it doesn't do your nails or you manicures any good. My painted nails looked disgusting after I used Deep Heat, after using Deep Heat my nails looked as if I did a very sorry attempt at removing the nail polish with remover.

I told my friend about my situation and she recommended Dr Lewinn - Revitanail nail strengthener. I brought it in a gift pack form Chemist Warehouse for $19.99. The pack comes with a Revitanail - Hand & Nail Cream 100g and Revitanail - Nail strengthener 30ml. The Revitanail strengthener usually RRP for $29.95.

Revitanail Nail Strengthener 30ml

Its my first time using a nail strengthener so I've got nothing to compare it to so here goes.

Instructions:Apply 2 coats of Revitanail Nail Strengthener onto clean nails avoiding the cuticle area and then one coat daily for the next 5 days. On the 7th day remove with nail polish remover. Repeat the process 3 times. (Each program lasts for 25 days.)

- Allow your nails to rest for 1-2 weeks between programs.

- Massage Revitanail Nourishing oil into the cuticles  after each application of Nail   Strengthener has dried.

Nourishing oil is also recommended to be used during the 1-2 week rest period.

So today is my first day on this nail strengthener. I cleaned my nails with nail polish remover so their now clean. I applied two coats of Revitanail. It dries pretty fast, within 5 mins to a very clear and glossy finish.

The smell is pretty strong, but I guess thats from the Formaldehyde

I don't have the cuticle oil from this range so I used Seacret: Cuticle oil, which should do the same job as the Revitanail one.

With Revitanail 

You can kinda see thinning at the tip of my nails,
that's where they are chipped (with revitanail)

Poladroid!

Found an alternate way to get the polaroid effect for photos without the actual camera! Its called Poladroid and its free! From http://poladroid.net/  

Full developing time

Shortest developing time

half the developing time

 There's a developing time frame to this, you can pick when you want to develop the photo by clicking on it the photo, It will still produce the finish intended item along with the photo exposure you picked. It'll save to you Picture folder. I like it, but sometimes it over exposes the photos nothing like my polaroid, but its a cheaper alternative and if you just want the vintage feel to photos.

I haven't actually tried to take these to develop, but I will report back on the results =]

half the time

Full develop time

REVIEW: Fuji instax mini 7s

Fuji Instax Mini 7s

I received a Polaroid camera for my 21st Birthday and I LOVE IT!

The polaroids that comes out aren’t HD quality, but they do give me a vintage feeling, good thing about them though is that they hide away most of your imperfections! Its also great for family gatherings or events, I used it at my graduation and now my mum treasures the picture and keeps it in her purse.

Fuji Instax Mini 7s

The camera I got was an Instax Mini 7s in White, I think they come in a brown colour too. The film it uses is the instax mini 300 film, this camera only uses the credit card size films, so if you prefer the wide films this camera isn’t for you. 

Fuji Pooh Bear instax film 300

In Australia, Melbourne they sell the films in packs of 10 for around $10+ and the camera model I own for around $89+ in JB Hi Fi, but if you have the patience and can wait 2 weeks order both film and camera off Ebay, its cheaper.

Fuji Instax Mini 7s

Now functions wise this camera is alright, I would’ve preferred the later model the Instax Mini 25, but I’m happy with the one I got =]. This polaroid camera will not fit in a small handbag its quite big.

The camera comes with a strap, the camera, instruction manual (in Japanese) and batteries (mine didn’t have any batteries =S) 

The camera uses 4x AA batteries, the battery usage is quite good it lasts for quite a while I have taken nearly 30-40 photos so far and it seems to be faring quite well still (some photos with flash and some without).

To turn the camera on you pull the lens out and you will see some red flashing lights on the top of the camera surrounding the dial when the light turns a yellow/greenish color your good to good. 

Fuji Instax Mini 7s

There are 4 settings which I found are self explanatory , the camera is automatic so you can’t manually focus anything so basically its all point and shoot. 

Fuji Instax Mini 7s

There’s a counter on the back to show you how many films you have left in there and a film check window, If its yellow your good to good. The first film of every pack of film is a dummy so if you take a photo with a new pack of film the photo will be just a black piece if plastic.



I don't like how it uses 4 AA and its size, its little too chunky for my taste. To me it feels like a child's toy, which I guess it kind of is, its a gimmick  and I'm a sucker for those, but I really do love the photos that come out.

REVIEW: Skin Food - Seaweed Washable Cleansing Gel (Oil Free)

REVIEW: Skin Food - Seaweed Washable Cleansing Gel (Oil Free)

Skin Food - Seaweed Washable Cleansing Gel (Oil Free)

This is my first Skin Food product, I got this from www.sasa.com  for around $10 AUD. I don't think they sell it any more on sasa.com though, but you can still get it on Ebay or Asian beauty store all around china town.

I have been using it for about a few months now. It's made for combination to oily skin, for me I found that it does have some oil control qualities, bit definitely not a Holy Grail cleanser for oil control.

Skin Food - Seaweed Washable Cleansing Gel (Oil Free)

It doesn't leave my skin feeling tight and it didn't break me out. It doesn't remove all make up, but when I use make up I use a cleansing oil instead of a regular cleanser. After I use it makes my complexion glow, I really love that part of it, but after I apply moisturiser that's gone.

The thing that I have a problem with is the fragrance because I'm used to using non-fragrant cleansers. Initially I thought it was too strong, but I got used to it. The fragrance doesn't  linger it soon dies off after washing.

The consistency is just like gel, it doesn't foam or lather, its fragranced and smells like the sea and some sort of flower. The gel has a tinge of green to it, which I'm not sure whether its due to the ingredients or colouring.

It comes in a 170ml pump bottle, and a clip that clips on to the pump part to stop spillage if you wanted to travel with it.  The bottle itself is quite sturdy, the label looks like brown paper with a film of wax over it (most likely plastic).

REVIEW: EOS (Evolution of Smooth) Lipbalms!

EOS - Sweet Mint

REVIEW: EOS (Evolution of Smooth) Lipbalms! 

They’re 95% organic and 100% natural.

A friend of mine gave me the “sweet mint” one as a gift after she came back from America. At first I didn’t really like it because the scent reminded me too much of those Chinese menthol oils that my mum used to apply to my bumps and bruises. I gave it the benefit of my doubt and used it a few times and fell in love!
When you initially apply it you can actually feel the minty/cool sensation on your lips, I think its from the peppermint oil that’s in it. This product gives you the same sensation as Lipice balms.

Love the packaging since its so cute although its a bit oddly shaped so makes it hard to just put it in your pocket.

So where can you get these in Australia? As far as I know you can't I had to get mine from Ebay, This is a link to the listing. This store sells each EOS Lipbalm for $6 AUD or 7 for $40 with freeshipping and they only ship to Australia. 
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/1-EOS-LIP-BALM-/190627943434?pt=AU_Makeup&hash=item2c624f940a#ht_518wt_1159

EOS - Summer fruit, Passion Fruit, Sweet Mint

Although I love the Sweet Mint, I’m disappointed with the Passion fruit one. It doesn’t have the cool mint sensation, which I’m fine with and its understandable..since its Passion fruit. I’m disappointed with the texture and the scent. The texture is oily and just sits on my lips and the scent resembles Passion fruit, but at the same time…smells more like cheap bubble gum.  Maybe it’ll grow on me like sweet mint if I gave it a chance.

The odd shape of the packaging makes it hard to you to just put it in your pocket, but they are good for handbags because of they're odd shape and colour.