A year of lip products #47

I have recently discovered that I own an obscene amount of lip products. In an effort to downsize without having a blog sale or burning all the makeup in my possession in a bonfire, I thought it would be a neat little idea to take inventory of my lipsticks, glosses and stains.

Pictures are taken in natural daylight with no color correction or manipulation.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss (SPF15) in Lilac Pastel

I like lip glosses more than I do lipsticks, really. I find that they (usually) keep my lips moisturized longer than lipsticks and look more effortless than an opaque lip color. In general, I veer towards lip glosses more also for the fact that I don't have to be too careful about slicking them on. A good one will spread itself out easily and fill in the lines of my lips without making them stand out. This comes with your standard doe foot applicator that picks up just enough product for one application without the need for double dipping. From the tube, I deducted that I'd get at least a semi opaque, high shine finish on my lips. That's half true, because it did go on kind of opaque, but the problem I had after that was how patchy it looked on my lips. It went on easily enough when I stretched my lips a little bit, however, as soon as I pucker up, the products settled into lines that I never even knew existed. The more I smooshed my lips together in attempt to spread the product out evenly, the worse it looks. There was some stickiness though I totally expect that out of lip glosses. As the color is clearly not for the nude-loving people, I won't go into how it's not your everyday lip gloss. It did take a lot of trying for this to look decent in the picture and I got a good couple hours of wear without eating or drinking.

A year of lip products #46

I have recently discovered that I own an obscene amount of lip products. In an effort to downsize without having a blog sale or burning all the makeup in my possession in a bonfire, I thought it would be a neat little idea to take inventory of my lipsticks, glosses and stains.

Pictures are taken in natural daylight with no color correction or manipulation.

E.L.F. essential lipstick in Posh

I think I've just found my perfect Autumn lipstick! This baby may not look like much in its cheap plastic packaging that doesn't roll up properly all the time, but once on my lips, wow! In the tube, it appears to skew to a purple-blue-pink kind of color, but the swatch on my hand says otherwise. It's a pleasantly fruit scented warm berry hued pink that is perfectly wearable even for scaredy cats like me who work in conservative environments! Although it doesn't glide on as smoothly as other moisturizing lipsticks, the tugging is very minimal and one swipe produces very opaque results. I didn't experience any feathering or bleeding, nor did I see any product settling into my lip creases and clinging on to dry patches. I wouldn't go as far as to say this feels light as air on my lips but I've worn more expensive lipsticks that made me feel a lot less satisfied. No stickiness and for the first time ever, I didn't get any lipstick on my teeth (which is saying something!). I also love, love, LOVE that it doesn't pool up on the inside of my mouth leaving a line that gives a stark distinction between where the lipstick stops and my natural lip color starts. I saw a slight stain after wiping off with a tissue but who cares when it's in a pretty warm pink! So much win, this one!

A year of lip products #45

I have recently discovered that I own an obscene amount of lip products. In an effort to downsize without having a blog sale or burning all the makeup in my possession in a bonfire, I thought it would be a neat little idea to take inventory of my lipsticks, glosses and stains.

Pictures are taken in natural daylight with no color correction or manipulation.

Cyber Colors Vitamin Duo Lip Gloss in 06 Royal Carol

Probably the only product I own from this brand. Not entirely sure but I think it's a brand from Hong Kong and could be easily found in Hong Kong. Do I like it? No. This was a gift from an old college girlfriend and it's a dual ended lip gloss. The label is only one one side so I don't think there's a shade name for either side except a number. While I had really enjoyed one side of it (finished it up so I couldn't even take pictures!), I sort of hated this side. It's glitttery and gritty on the lips and the wand never seems to pick up anything so I needed to keep dipping to get product out. I generally dislike lip products that won't show on my lips (sheer is alright, but nothing is not) and the only good point I can think of for it is that it work-safe. I wouldn't even go as far as to say it's moisturizing because it really just sits on my lips and that stops them from drying out. Glad that I didn't spend any money on this one.

A year of lip products #44

I have recently discovered that I own an obscene amount of lip products. In an effort to downsize without having a blog sale or burning all the makeup in my possession in a bonfire, I thought it would be a neat little idea to take inventory of my lipsticks, glosses and stains.

Pictures are taken in natural daylight with no color correction or manipulation.

LORAC Sheer Lipstick in Just Kissed

I'm not sure why it's taken me forever to write about this lipstick when I practically use it everyday. I might've mentioned that I'm more a lip gloss kind of person for the ease of application and more often than not, sheer laziness. On the days that I actually wear lipstick (work days), this is the first thing that I pick up. Many may not like sheer lipsticks for the lack of color and it's not often that I do, either. It just that, this one here smells pretty delicious in a vanilla cookie kind of way and immediately hides the flaky bits on my lips. Add on the zero effort factor since I almost always run out of the apartment in the morning sans lip product to make it in time for my train, and how my lips get an instant boost of moisture and soft glossy effect, I'd wear this down to a tiny nub. The only negative that I can see in this is that the moisturizing effect doesn't last as long as a lip balm would. I wouldn't layer it on top of a balm as it's sheer enough on its own but even when my lips are drier after a couple of hours with this on, there's absolutely no hint of flakiness to be seen. I love how it adds on a bit of warmth to my face without that 80s brown lipstick look. On the swatch, it took 20 swipes for it to show so that may give you an idea of just how sheer of a lipstick it is.

A year of lip products #43

I have recently discovered that I own an obscene amount of lip products. In an effort to downsize without having a blog sale or burning all the makeup in my possession in a bonfire, I thought it would be a neat little idea to take inventory of my lipsticks, glosses and stains.

Pictures are taken in natural daylight with no color correction or manipulation.

Senna Cosmetics duo lip gloss in Chocolate Cherry

This is the Chocolate side, I'm assuming, as the other other side is a much lighter, creamier nude kind of color that I don't particularly favor. To be really honest, I've only really used this side twice in the entire time that I've had it. And now, I'm wondering why I haven't picked it up more often, seeing that the color really isn't as old lady as I thought it was. Yes, it's brown and shimmery, but on my lips, it doesn't appear that way at all. I'd say this is a warm color that I can wear regardless of season (except maybe on really windy days because no lip gloss has passed that test yet). Some people might label this "frosty" or "contains micro shimmer particles". I'm really not all that great with descriptions, so you can take a look at yourself at how non scary it looks on the lips as opposed to the heavy swatch on skin. It doesn't hide flakiness completely but I'd say it's good enough for the days when lipstick just doesn't cooperate. Like most other lip glosses, it's not meant to have lasting power and I'm completely fine with that. Who'd ever finish up a lip product that you don't need to reapply anyway? Not too glossy, slightly sticky, and medium-glossy (in the sense that I don't get a mirror-like shine from wearing this). Pretty ho-hum, really.

August '13 empties

Compared to say, 2 years ago, I'd say that my hoarding habits have been greatly toned down.

Yet, I feel pretty amazed at the end of each month that I go without buying, I still have a large stash of stuff that I can mow through.

No finished makeup products this month, but loads of full sized bath and body items on their way to the recycling bin!

Rinren Yuzu & Ginger Shampoo
I've talked about it here before. Frankly, I'm glad this one is done with because I was getting tired of how mild the scent is.
Repurchase: No

Shiseido Tsubaki Shining Conditioner
Wish I got this sooner because it made my hair a lot less tangly. Less tangles = less hair loss in the shower = very good. It has silicones, yes, but I'm quite ready to admit that those non-silicone shampoos and conditioners just don't work for me. If anything, my hair got drier, frizzed up and it takes forever to detangle in the shower, not to mention the hair loss. I'm not exactly blessed with thick hair and being able to save some from clogging up the shower drain everyday is a good thing. The scent is not overpowering and very feminine. For an inexpensive drug store conditioner that is easily available everywhere (even in convenience stores sometimes!), I'm pretty happy with the results.
Repurchase: Yes

Rinren Yuzu & Ginger Treatment
This is no treatment, by any means, as conditioner is often referred to as "treatment" here in Japan. I wanted to go down the no-silicone path and picked this in hopes that my life will be changed forever. And change it did. I noticed more hair in the shower drain after rinsing off and it did nothing to make my hair smoother. Nor did I have a healthier scalp. Nothing. At all. Glad this one is finished.
Repurchase: No

The Body Shop Cucumber & Mint Shower Gel
Yes, love x100000. Never thought that the cucumber-mint combo would work in the shower although it's a drink that I've had many times before. Paraben/soap/sulphate/colorant-free. So much win here! I wish this came in a larger size like those jumbo 500ml bottles that they occasionally have in store. This was a real breath of fresh air in the crazy summer heat and makes an awesome body wash for that end-of-the-humid-day grime and dust.
Repurchase: Yes

Feverlet Collagen Essence Mask
One out of the 120(?) sheet masks that I hauled from Incheon Airport last year. Yes, they're still around. This feels like it's better quality than the Etude House ones that did absolutely nothing for me. The cotton sheet is a little thinner than the Etude House masks that I used. They have a texture that seems to work quite well in holding the essence. Although less saturated than Etude House masks, I find that it has just the right amount and doesn't drip down my neck. I also find that I don't have that sticky residue after I take them off and I don't need to splash my face with water again before I apply toner (or lotion as the Japanese version is). Not sure if my face is any less wrinkled or more plumped up, really, since I've never had any life changing experience with any sheet mask except for SK-II. I usually pop sheet masks in the fridge for a few minutes while I go through my cleansing routine in summer because let's face it, who doesn't like that temporary relief when it's 40 degrees out there?
Repurchase: No

Claudia Jansen & Co nose strip
First mentioned here. I'm not sure if this is a charcoal strip but I love my nose strips black, nonetheless. Makes it so much more satisfying when I can see those little blackheads clearly. Nothing to shout about here, just your regular nose strip, if you're into that sort of thing. I did find it a little harder to peel compared to the Biore ones that I've used previously.
Repurchase: No. Happy to finish up the remaining strips and be done with them

Muji Nail Polish Remover
Only slightly more than 500 yen and I wish I'd discovered this sooner. Smells citrus-y with none of that eye-watering suffocating deathly fumes that comes with cheap polish remover. Does a really good job with removing nail color and doesn't leave my cuticles or nails dry and flaky like the really strong ones do. A little pricey for probably half the amount that I get from the 100 yen shop, but hey, it's worth not having my bin and entire apartment smell like we've been doused with alcohol.
Repurchase: Yes

Shiseido Sebum & Oil Blotting Paper
Dislike. I need at least 3 sheets in a single blotting session and even then my fingers feel oily after as if the sebum has soaked through the entire sheet. TMI? I still haven't found a Japanese blotting paper that actually works like the Johnson & Johnson ones. This feels no different than if I blotted my face with regular paper.
Repurchase: No

Sally Girl neon orange nail polish
One of those things that got thrown into a package when I bought some stuff off a blog sale. What a rip off since it was already gooey and I could use it only once after adding a few drops of solvent in it. The brush is really tiny and makes my shaky application look even worse than usual. I'd have love to wear this color when it was still usable as it was totally a summer color that doesn't look too out of place, neon and all.
Repurchase: No

iHerb.com nail file 
Think low quality sand paper stuck onto a foam board. It goes all floppy at the slightest pressure that I apply when filing my nails. Good for one use only. At least it was free gift, useless as it was.
Repurchase: No

Nail file from drug store in Malaysia
I've had it for so long that I can't even tell the brand anymore. It went with me from Malaysia to China and finally ended up here in Japan. I guess that says a lot for a nail file because it gave me countless uses over the years. I never torn a nail or had jagged tips that snagged on clothing from this one. It was pretty hard and didn't bend during use. I haven't found anything as good here yet, sadly.
Repurchase: No

So there, 10 is the magic number this month. I'm pretty good in using up stuff, regardless of whether they work or not. Don't you think?