FOTD & Review: Dr. Jart Waterfuse BB Cream

Hi guys!

So today I will be reviewing the Dr. Jart Waterfuse BB cream. This is available at Sephora but I suggest you take a look at the Dr. Jart website to see what kind of products they offer other than the ones that are sold at Sephora.

The Basics:
-1.7 oz ($34 at Sephora, slightly different product for $42 on the Dr. Jart website)
-SPF 25 PA++
-Oil free
-Made with 50% water
-One shade
-Made in Korea

Immediately, I'm sure the price can make some feel uneasy but this is not a product anyone should be using a lot of.  You do not need a lot of this to cover your imperfections.  That being said, no, it is definitely not as cheap as the ones you can find in drugstores but I strongly believe this BB cream is worth every penny.

The Good:
I think this is most ideal for people with normal to dry skin. I've heard it works well for oily skin too, but you have to use some powder/blot every few hours. The finish is dewy, your face will look plump and 'glowy'. When I'm wearing a "full face" of makeup, I start out with this BB cream, apply some blush and mascara, then I'm good to go! I also like that this product has SPF 25. I use a teeny bit (and I'll explain later why) and blend, blend, blend! Ta-da! Most of my imperfections are gone! I'm not too crazy about concealing EVERY single blemish so even the ones that still peek through after applying this, I leave alone because there is enough coverage.  I love that it's oil-free but not drying for my face.  This is probably the main reason why this product could also work for oily skin. There is also a scent, nothing overwhelming, but it's slightly floral (kind of reminds me of my serum but not as strong as my serum).  It's a pleasant smell and it does not linger for me.

The Bad:
Okay. Great product. Everyone should be able to use it, right?
Unfortunately not, as this product only comes in one shade. If you are very fair or very dark, you will not be able to use this product without looking a bit 'off'.  I am on the lighter side and using too much of this will make my face face look darker than it is.  But it is absolutely fine because I only need a thin layer of this and I'm good to go.  I noticed that the more layers I put on, it made me look darker. So I can't really say this is "buildable" (unless you are exactly this shade) but I don't think it's something you really need to build!

Here is how the one from Sephora looks.

What they say. 

This is the consistency.

It feels cool, literally, and it feels moist. I can't quite describe it but it's almost as if I feel water droplets.

The consistency is almost putty-like, sort of a cross between pudding.. and cream?? 

Man, I really am not good at this.

In other words..

It feels nice! 

Semi blended

As you can see, it is too dark for my pale forearm before being blended. 

But after much blending, it's hard to tell it's really that much darker! 

...And I leave you with a FOTD! I tried to stand as close to natural light to show you guys how this looks on me and I think this pretty much looks like my own skin. As you can see, some of my imperfections peek through (especially my right cheek) but I personally think this is good enough. Unless it's for something really important, I will skip concealer. Like I've said in a previous post, I either wear foundation (or BB cream) OR just concealer but usually never both at the same time.

Ahh I'm dying to try some other Dr. Jart products! Can't wait 'til I'm done with this so I can try another BB cream from their line.

What is your favorite BB cream? Do you like BB creams in general or are you a foundation person?

Battle of the Concealers

Hello hello hello! Ugh, I have classes starting Monday and woooo long hours of commuting. I'm actually excited for my classes though... a bit nervous too, as ALL of my classes this term are supposed to be difficult classes.

Today's post will be about the concealers I'm using. I currently use four concealers, never all at the same time but I use different concealers for different days. Some concealers are used more often than others.

For days that I know I'm going to be out for a long time (a typical school or work day, in my case) I don't like having foundation on my face. It starts to feel heavy no matter how little I use or what the brand is. Concealers, on the other hand, I use for spots and blemishes. ONLY spots and blemishes, which saves the rest of my face from suffocating lol.

I use my fingers for application. I like to keep patting until it is fully blended into my face.  I strongly recommend those looking for concealers to get the right shade for your face! Especially if you're only going to cover spots and skip foundation.  It looks really weird when you have darker spots of concealer on your face,  you know? Defeats the purpose of doing it!

These are my concealers.  From left to right:

Kat Von D: Tattoo Concealer ($25) in the shade SAND
Revlon: Colorstay Blemish Concealer ($8) in the shade 001 FAIR
Canmake: Cover & Stretch Concealer UV ($10) in the shade 01
Revlon: Photoready Concealer ($10) in the shade 001 FAIR (also my current favoirte :D)

These are what the applicators look like. My favorite is the squeeze tube, simply because this is more  hygienic and I get more product out. Later when I'm almost done, I'm going to cut it in half to get every last product out of it. I'm okay with the Photoready applicator, which is basically just turning the bottom half to get more product.  I don't apply this directly to my face, I apply it to my clean finger(s) and then apply.  My least favorite is probably the wand applicator because I will not be able to get the products that are beneath the wand, which to me, is a waste :(

I wish I had gotten the Kat Von D in their lightest shade, the SA told me that I was the second lightest shade and it looks good in room light but in sun light, I look a bit darker. I usually don't like to use this on it's own, maybe under foundation or something because I feel very self-conscious LOL. The Kat Von D Tatto Concealer also came out with new packaging/shades so you might want to check that out.  By the way, I refuse to believe this covers a tattoo.  Maybe a white tattoo but definitely not a black tattoo.

The Revlon: Colorstay Blemish Concealer is for blemishes. NOT under eyes! It will be way too drying for your under eyes. First of all, it feels very light. I like to use this on my active blemishes because this does have 0.5% salicylic acid. I feel less guilty about covering my blemishes.  The odd thing about this product is that if it's a tiny pimple, it will do very little for the pimple. But if I have a big pimple, I notice that it does get smaller in size by the time I remove my makeup.

The Canmake Cover & Stretch Concealer is what I put around in my makeup bag. The only problem I have with this is that it has a strong yellow undertone.  Despite being Asian, my skin has a lot more pink underneath. I guess I'm somewhat neutral but I find this concealer too yellow for my liking but it's not specifically darker.  Just yellower! A pro about this product is that it is waterproof! It does "stretch" out, meaning, a small amount will cover a larger area. It is a Japanese product, and I assume it is more readily available in Japan. I got mine online. This has a bit of a thicker consistency but I wouldn't say it feels heavy.

And finally, my all time favorite: Revlon's Photoready Concealer!
I don't know why people complain about the glitters because I REALLY don't see it when it's applied on my face. Yes, I see it when its swatched but not when it's fully blended out on my actual face.  The consistency is creamy but with moderate to full coverage.  Buildable, but I advise you don't as too much of it can make you look cakey. But I really don't see why anyone would need so much of it, as the coverage is great!

So to show you guys how well these concealers cover, I drew lines on my arm with a waterproof eyeliner.  I was going to use a sharpie but I worried it wouldn't come off LOL. 

From left to right:

Kat Von D: Tattoo Concealer, Revlon: Colorstay Blemish Concealer, Canmake: Cover & Stretch Concealer UV, Revlon: Photoready Concealer

 These are the consistencies! 

Blended out

Revlon's Photoready Concealer concealed the most, followed by Kat Von D Tattoo Concealer, Canmake Cover & Stretch Concealer, and lastly Revlon's Colorstay Blemish Concealer.

I think because the Colorstay Blemish Concealer is supposed to work on pimples, it conceals less.  But between Kat Von D and Revlon's Photoready, Photoready takes home first place because it covers the most and I probably used less product than the other concealers.  I love this concealer! And I guess Canmake is doing well in my makeup bag, used for touching up if needed.  I still like the Blemish Concealer though!

Ahh, what do you guys think? Tell me about your favorite concealer! If you don't use any, maybe your favorite foundation? :)

My Beauty Addiction: Blush

I never had and probably will never have a lipstick addiction.
I never had and probably will never have a lip gloss addiction.
I never had and probably will never have a mascara addiction.
But I love my blushes and I will never give up my love for them LOL.

As the title of this post says, I am addicted to blushes. There, I said it!

Blushes are the only type makeup I will buy with less hesitation because of price. As long as the product is great, I probably won't mind the price tag.
I love blushes because they can give you that pop of color on your face when foundation and/or concealer washes out some of the color on your face.  It also adds more dimension to your face! What is there not to love?

Of course it's rather easy to "over do" blush, looking like a clown in the end. But with some practice and lots of blending, you can add a very nice touch to your overall makeup using blush!

Without further ado, my blush collection!

-NYX Rouge Cream Blush (cb02 Natural)
-NYX Rouge Cream Blush (cb05 Glow)
-Stila Custom Color Blush (Sheer Pink)
-Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush (Amused)
-Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush (10 Pink Frosting)

-Benefit (Coralista)
-Too Faced Leopard Love Complexion Perfection Kit (Candy Leopard)
-Illamasqua Cream Blush (Promise)
-Benefit (Bella Bamba)
-Benefit (Dandelion)
-ELF (Candid Coral)
-theBalm (Hot Mama)
-HK Memoirs of a Kitty (Shade 1 / Shade 2)
-L'Oreal Magic Smooth Souffle (824 Cherubic Candide)

I use one of these brushes to apply my blush.  From top to bottom: MAC 116, random brush I purchased from the IMATS, random angle blusher brush I got from TJMaxx.  This also happens to be in price order.  The MAC was probably around 20+ dollars, the brush I got from the IMATS this spring cost me $7 and the bottom brush from TJMaxx cost me $3 (originally $20 so it was a bargain!).  I absolutely LOVE the angle blusher and I use it more than I use the MAC brush. I wish I had purchased this first, I would not have bought the MAC brush. BUT the MAC brush is excellent for powder highlighters.  Both are very soft but I mean, $3 vs $20 is a big deal for me. Love them both.

Now for the middle brush I got from the IMATS, it's a small stipple brush I only use for applying my cream blushes.  I actually like that it's not too dense as this avoids picking up too much product.  I gently swirl the blush around my cheeks and I love how soft the brush is! I have no idea which brand it was from other than the fact that I got it from IMATS here in NYC. 

Without Flash

With flash

My three Benefit blushes! My favorite, or most used I should say, would be Dandelion and Coralista.  Bella Bamba is more of a brighter pink with many glitter particles. Usually, it's too overwhelming to wear on a normal day. Dandelion is very subtle and can be used as a highlighter.  Coralista falls in the middle of these two! I would love to purchase Hervana in the future! These are $28 each if I remember correctly.

 Without Flash

 With Flash

These are my other powder blushes.  In pan, ELF Candid Coral and theBalm Hot Mama look somewhat alike.  It isn't so when swatched and the quality of theBalm is better.  I think Candid Coral was one of my first blush purchases and I liked it very much in the beginning.  I wonder how Hot Mama compares to NARS Orgasm? I think it's a couple of shades lighter but still pretty comparable. I'm not sure at all though, as I do not own NARS blushes yet. 

The HK Memoirs of a Kitty was my first Hello Kitty for Sephora purchase. I own one more palette and I think these are pretty good for the price ($36).  You get 4 eye shadows and 2 generously sized blushes in a REALLY cute package. I already did a review on this so if you want, check it out here.

I purchased the Too Faced palette a while back and I think the packaging is really cute! I do like the highlighter (right) but I'm on the fence about the bronzer (left) because it's a bit too sparkly.  I really think bronzers should be matte! The blush is in the middle and it's a nice baby pink with some darker pink and peach mixed in as well.  The only problem I have with this is that it's very powdery. And it's not as pigmented as I'd like it to be.

I suppose the most interesting from these would be the Stila Custom Color Blush, which is pH based.  Basically the idea is to adjust to your skin tone this way it's like a "one color for all skin colors" kind of thing.  I can tell you that you have to use a light hand if you do not want to look like a toy but with a lighter hand, it does seem to show up a little different on my skin vs my friend's skin, who is darker than myself.  This is $20.

The Tarte Amazonian Clay is probably a cult favorite, EVERYONE loves these. My friend got this for me for Christmas and it's amazing. It's matte so it looks even more natural.  But the color I have it in is a bit bright, depending on how I use it, it calls for a lotttt of blending.  Still a wonderful blush nonetheless.  I recommend this to people who are first trying out, I guess, "higher end" blushes.

Without Flash

With Flash

These are my cream/not powder blushes.  I generally like cream blushes more, even though lasting powder for these babies may not be as long as powder blushes.  The reason I like it is because my skin is rather dry and I feel that cream blushes add some "dew" to my face.  I don't like looking overly matte because that does not look natural at all so these are my go-to blushes.

The Illamasqua one is in the shade "Promise" which may be limited edition, I'm not sure.  But it's such a gorgeous color. THIS IS MY FAVORITE BLUSH EVER. Out of all my blushes, this must be my favorite.  I love the consistency, the packaging, and the color! It does not feel sticky or wet and dries very nicely on my cheeks. The only downside is the $24 price tag for something I feel I would use up quicker than a typical powder blush. Even then, I would repurchase. Over and over.

The L'Oreal magic smooth souffle is also great, a little goes a long way for these. It's definitely under $10 at drugstores. I feared it might be too dark but by using a little and blending out, it looks very, very, very, nice.  Maybe if I bought this first, I might have not bought the Illamasqua.. but I really love my Illamasqua blush so I don't know. Another good thing about this blush is that it lasts a really long time. I love that about this blush. 

I like the NYX cream blushes as well but not nearly as much as I like the Illamasqua blush.  It is significantly cheaper, I bought it for around $6 at the IMATS.  The packaging is okay too! It's definitely a pass.  But I have a problem with the consistency of these blushes. They're very.. sticky and almost gooey feeling to me. I like "natural" more than "glow" as glow is too dark for me but to me, these almost feel like lip glosses... on my cheek. And they take a while to dry down on my cheeks.  Still, very pigmented and I absolutely love the look after it finishes drying lol. 

I'm sure by now everyone has read/seen/bought the Dream Bouncy blushes by Maybelline and despite most people not enjoying this, I pop this into my makeup bag during school days and apply this when I feel it's necessary (even if I did apply this specific blush in the morning).  It's not that bad, rather subtle in color but looks natural without many glitter particles. I love the consistency too! But I don't think I'll repurchase as isn't really great on it's own. 

Time for you guys to confess: What is your beauty addiction? Do any of these blushes interest you? Let me know!

Recent (somewhat) Buys!

So I guess it is obvious that I did not post anything since the last time I posted. A lot has happened over the span of half a year and basically, I've decided to accept the things I cannot change. That's when everything seemed to get easier.

And THEN I really missed blogging so I decided that I'm really back for good this time. Pretty bad timing though, I start classes next Monday. Ahh already into my 3rd year of college... time really flies by!

Today's post will be about my somewhat recent buys (both beauty and non-beauty related), so I hope you guys enjoy!

I actually own another dog now (a chihuahua) and he has a knack for nibbling on my earphones and he always manages to tear them apart. I gave up on buying good earphones because they never seem to last and I got these for $10 (orig. $20) at tjmaxx.  There were several designs but I liked the polka dot ones best. I bought a back up of these as well, but in stripes instead. The ones without volume control/microphone are only $6, get them if you come across these! They're pretty good quality.

I needed a new crossbody bag. But I'm poor right now LOL (actually not funny...) so I got this from Forever21 for $18 after taxes. It's a bit darker in real life, like a legitimate 'tan' color. Obviously not the BEST quality, as you can see there is some poor stitch work in the center but overall, I do like it very much.

I like it even more because it has two compartments inside. I keep my wallet towards the back and my keys/cards/etc in the front. My wallet is pretty bulky and I like that it fits comfortably without making the bag look too bulky.

My friend "R" got this for me on my birthday. It's an "Eyeko" mascara, I was eyeing this for a while but my local Sephora's did not carry this so I was pretty hesitant on getting it. I haven't really tested it out for sure yet but my first impressions of it were good. I like this packaging, I feel like I'm going to waste less product.. because I can technically squeeze the sides of it so I can get more product out when I'm running low... does this make sense??

It comes with this little chip for you to hold under your lashes so your mascara won't ruin your eye makeup. Neat! Reminds me of a guitar pick.

Interesting wand, no? I believe this retails for $19 but I may be wrong.

The same friend also got me Benefit's Coralist blush. It's basically my go-to blush when I'm busy in the mornings. I like it because I don't really have to blend out as much (because the color is pretty light/subtle) but it still gives me that 'glow'.

Color of it with flash! The flash shows the color best. It's a really nice pink. And is it just me or do some of the Benefit blushes smell good?...

My three favorite foundations: Dr. Jart BB cream, Tarte Amazonian Clay Foundation, Clinique Even Better Foundation. Let me know if you guys want reviews!

My new favorite pressed powder. It's only a dollar and ELF items are almost always a hit or miss so I was skeptical but I hit pan on the first one and I bought a back up.  My skin is not the most sensitive and I think this serves my skin pretty well. It has very little salacylic acid in it (0.5 I believe) but it does help with my skin when it's having a bad day (or week.. lol). It's not a life saver but it does help a bit. Oh, the coverage is pretty good as well! Beware though, this product has talc in it which does seem to bother many people. And a lot of people broke out because of this. But it's worth a try for a dollar I think, if your skin is not the most sensitive.



My new favorite concealer! Revlon's PhotoReady.  The top one is my backup because I'm almost done with my first tube of this. The glitter particles seem to bother some people but I don't see anything when it's on my skin. Love the consistency and coverage. If I am wearing this, I am not wearing any foundation. It's almost always either this, or my foundation but never both.

My Lioele princess mirror! It's a small hand-held mirror but it's so cute, isn't it?

Ok. So I got these little boxes (3 x 2 in) and they're called "Really Useful Boxes". They're cute and stackable but not useful at all. What am I going to do?!

YAY! Sharpie highlighters for only $1/pack!!! This is crazy for me because I love Sharpie highlighters but they're NEVER a dollar for 2. Ahhh this was so exciting LOL. Everyone else must feel the same way because I grabbed the 2 from the 3 remaining in that big box.

Ah, feels good to be back. Do you guys want reviews on anything? Or do you have any input on the products? Let me know!