icyabstract makeup

Haul & On My Nails: Going Nazi on OPI Germany

icyabstract — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 15:22:19 SGT

You could say that I went a little berserk with this haul but I couldn't help it... Almost every single color looked awesome in Scrangie's and The Polishaholic's posts.

The bottles you see below are already a result of restrain being practiced. Though in my defense, I rarely go this crazy over one collection, much less an OPI one, so the occasional indulgence is... permissible.

With that said, please stop me from any nail lemmings and send a "tsk" my way if another nail haul goes up within, a month?

Here's a close-up at the bottles!

Every Month is Oktoberfest – This color was one of the super unique-looking ones of the bunch due to its purple shift amidst a crimson / dark maroon base. Just - gorgeous!

Danke-Shiny Red – If you know me, you know I hardly ever wear reds on my nails but I was completely drawn to this shade from the swatches. It's not just a bright red but its almost glowy and shiny at the same time.

Unfor-Greta-bly Blue – A rare sort of color purchase for me because I think this may be my first jewel-ish blue polish but I couldn't resist how pretty it swatches. It's glowy, slightly frosty yet still darkens around the edges where light doesn't hit it.

Nein! Nein! Nein! Ok Fine! – I love olives, I think I may have established that but oddly I don't have too many darkened olive polishes so this, I couldn't pass up on!

Don't Talk Bach to Me – I love how odd this color is. It's a mustard-yellow-ish color yet has some subtle shimmer to it instead of solely sticking to a cream finish... I think the weirdness of this was what really drew me in.

Berlin There Done That – And of course I couldn't pass up on this one. It was either this or Don't Pretzel My Buttons but the greyish tone in this (more apparent when swatched) won me over.

I could swatch every color I had gotten but since there are a zillion swatches available online (trust me, I searched for them while painfully eliminating some shades), I shan't do a speed-swatch of them all. I would very much rather enjoy using them and marvel at how they sparkle on my nails for maybe a week before switching to another shade.

What I do have for you now is a swatch of my favorite shade of the lot. Or at least one I feel is somewhat the most unique in my stash.

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Every Month is Oktoberfest (2 coats) + Seche Vite topcoat

And with flash so all the pretty glitter bits show up.

I must warn you though that these shots are really zoomed-in and macro-ed. The polish looks stunning but when swatched on the chances of you staring at your polish's sparkle this close all the time is very low. Unless you really do admire your nails quite a bit from time to time.

From afar, the polish looks like a darkened magenta with a deep purple-red sheen (like the daylight shots). It is still very beautiful if darkened shades are your thing but don't let the extremely apparent red shimmer bits steal your heart too much.

One unique point about this polish, which is lost with 2 coats, is the purple base color it seems to have.

Here it is at 1 coat; it's lovely enough but the nail bed is still apparent.

It looks almost like some flame or oil sleek with the red and purple-ish hues, or am I just thinking too much? I believe that purple hue may come into play if you layer this polish over something or just fancy using 1 coat of this.

Incase you are wondering, I had hauled my fill of the OPI Germany collection from timtam.

While I am enjoying these polishes and trying not to hastily swatch them all, I honestly can't wait to play with all the shades. Thus you may see these popping up (quite reguarly) on upcoming On My Nails entries!

Thanks for reading and I hope everyone is enjoying their weekends!

This upcoming week is not a good time for me and I am literally swamped with work commitments (weekends included - boohoo) so I may disappear a little. I will blog when I can, which is when the workload hits a calmer pace!

My Top 8 Coral/Orange flush (with Swatches)!

icyabstract — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 19:30:27 SGT

I have probably rattled about how I have been loving orange/coral blush shades over the past couple of months.

While that obsession is slowly slipping away with the summer trend, I thought I would take this chance to feature 8 blush items I have come to reach for when looking for a peachy/coral glow.

During my orange/coral phase, I first sorted my collection via how they looked in the pans but in most cases a coral blush in the pan never translates the same on my skin. I don't believe it's just me but coral has a way of pulling more pink on certain skintones while orange blushes subdues to a coral. I suppose if I pile them on enough they will show up true to the pan, but that's not really what we are looking for!

Cutting to the chase, an overview of the 8 blushes in mention.

It's always bright and sunny in Singapore so there is always an occasion to throw on the corals!

It's a lovely twist how MAC's Happy Together and Warmth of Coral seem a little neutral in the pan but when swatched does provide that tinge of coral summery goodness. Maybelline Peach Satin's pigmentation was quite expected since it's a cream/mousse finish and a pretty vibrant shade even in the 'pot'.

The Makeup Shop blush in M05 was a random buy from SASA because I had some vouchers to clear but it turned out to be a lovely blush. It has little flecks of silver glitter in it, a nice change to the usual gold inclusion for corals.

Swatching the Canmake Cheek Powders alongside each other, PW27 appears to pull more orange then PW16 but I have no idea why because it's quite the opposite on my face! I don't believe I have mixed the swatches up in any way but... that's the magic of orange/coral blushes I suppose?

The Canmake cream blush in 10 does not swatch the least bit coral on me at all but it does look the part in the pan! It's still a lovely color nonetheless.

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I know a couple of the above items are no longer available, case in point the MAC limited edition blushes. I'm not sure if the Maybelline Mousse products are still for sale abroad but I know they are pretty much discontinued here, along with L'oreal's Fresh Papaya blush.

I know it's a bit pointless to pull out stuff you cannot get but this also shows that collecting makeup is fun when you can look back on your 'treasures'!

From the above 8 items, my favorite peachy glow is still Canmake's Cheek Powder in PW16.

I had posted a full face look using that blush in this LOTD.

Scrolling through my entries I think that maybe Chanel's Bronze Corail bronzer/blush could also be featured here though it leans a tad more bronzey then coral.

However, that again is another item you can't get right now so lets scrap that... but if you are curious, swatches here.

Thanks for reading!

Smashbox Photo Finish Primers Get a Facelift! (Swatches & Initial Thoughts)

icyabstract — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 19:30:00 SGT

The Smashbox Photo Finish Primer is a cult item amidst the makeup scene that many makeup artists often swear by for that flawless and smooth finish. I have steered far, far away from it because I have heard stories of people breaking out from it due to the silicone aspect.

I was a little skeptical at first when I was contacted about trying 2 of the new Smashbox Photo Finish Primer versions. Though after some research online, it seems that these new versions were pretty 'safe to use' so I went ahead to try them.

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Smashbox has given their Photo Finish Primers a new look and they come in squeeze tubes now!

A general breakdown of the 8 versions (from left to right):

Color Correcting Foundation Primer – Adjust (Green-toned)
to correct and reduce redness
Color Correcting Foundation Primer – Balance (Purple-toned)
to brighten dull or sallow skin
Lumizing Foundation Primer
to add luminosity to the skin with a velvety texture
UVA/UVB 15 SPF Foundation Primer with DERMAXYLTM COMPLEX
an anti-aging primer that primes, protects and corrects in one single step.
Color Correcting Foundation Primer - Blend (Apricot-toned)
to even out skintone and counteract discoloration and dark spots
Photo Finish Foundation Primer Light
an oil-free, 60% water-based primer ideal for oily, acne prone or sensitive skin
Hydrating Foundation Primer
made with hydraplex this oil-free primer hydrates while it primes
Photo Finish Foundation Primer
the classic photo finish foundation primer for a perfect canvas

That's quite a chunk of text but I hope it's not too hard to read. Basically most are existing versions, except with a new look.

The 2 new additions to the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer family would be Hydrating and Luminizing.

The squeeze tubes that it comes in are sturdy and slim. While the previous packaging was chic and sits pretty on the makeup counter, you can't deny that it's easier carrying squeeze tubes out. If you're one with drawers and drawers of makeup, squeeze tubes are easier to chuck in the drawers too.

The nozzle or opening of these tubes are rather small so a small bit is dispensed each time, reducing any wastage.

The 2 primers, Hydrating and Luminizing, serve different purposes hence they do differ quite a bit in terms of texture.

I find that Hydrating has more of a gel finish while Lumizing feels a little more slick on the skin.

The Hydrating primer's texture doesn't strike me as 'primer' at all as it smooths out to leave the skin feeling supple with a hardly a trace of the product, much like a gel moisturizer really. Luminizing on the other hand reminds me a little of those facial bronzing liquids because it does have a slight tone to it.

Here's both the products spread out fully on the back of my hand.

The bronzey tone and sheen from Luminizing is still quite apparent and there's no shine, sheen or residue on the side of Hydrating.

With my skintone I don't face an issue with the bronzey look left by Luminizing but browsing some comments about the product on other sites, if you are very very fair then you might see a slight tint. Though to be honest it's a subtle sheen and nothing that would stick out too much once you layer foundation over.

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I haven't given Hydrating a go but I did try Luminizing the other day.

It's hard to say anything with one usage and I didn't pit it against ultimate conditions (simple evening out and dinner on a cool day) so I can't judge it's oil-control and all yet. For this post however I can showcase how Luminizing would apply and look under foundation.

For this particular 'experiment' I had on a liquid foundation (very basic medium coverage) and translucent powder over to set. No blush or highlighter was applied yet you are still able to see a sheen and glint where the flash of the camera hits. No it's not an oil-sheen either as this was right after setting.

With flash it's rather strong but with daylight it is a lot softer and more of a natural radiance.

If you're wondering how it appears without foundation, the next image is of Luminizing pre-foundation. The reflective bit around the nose-bridge area is a little harsher and stronger and if you stare hard enough you can see the shimmery flecks around my nose. Okay, its kinda creepy to stare at my face this close-up, but just so you know!

But with foundation over it seems to soften everything out and depending on your foundation coverage.

The following is another shot with foundation over and the highlight (no pun intended) of this would be the reflective sheen above my brow and on my cheekbone area though no highlighter was used.

What I am able to say about Smashbox Luminizing Photo Finish Primer is that don't expect a very bronzey or obvious sheen finish to it since it is a primer you wear under the foundation. What it does is help to give a slight enhancement and natural highlight to the skin.

It would also depend on the coverage of your foundation (liquid or powder) as that plays a role in 'covering' the primer but if you were wearing a lightweight foundation and wanted a gentle luminizing boost to the skin, effect-wise this would be ideal.

I will update again on the actual primer portion of this once I have given that a run and will also give Hydrating a try. I have read some opinions about Hydrating and it seems quite promising. I will be looking forward to that!

Thanks for reading!

Disclosure:
Products were provided by Smashbox - I am not affiliated to them.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Haul & Swatches: Les Jeans de Chanel

icyabstract — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 12:22:48 SGT

I happened to be at ION the Friday when Les Jeans de Chanel collection was launched, last Friday of September. Since I was in the area, why not drop by and give it a quick look?

Well, a bad decision for my bank but I left the store happy and that's all that matters. Funny thing is, the color that caught my eye through online swatches was Blue Boy but in person everything changed and I ended up not even getting that shade.

I had the intention of only getting one nail polish but the sales assistant was so nice, friendly and helpful that I left with more. See: a happy customer is a spending customer.

I ended up walking away with Blue Rebel, which I was undecided about, and Coco Blue.

I never cared for Coco Blue when I saw the swatches online but in person I guess it's just a different thing. The whole combination of placing these 2 shades side-by-side was really attractive too.

Coco Blue has little specks of glitter within the polish (hardly visible) but you can see in this next photo.

The reason I got both was because the sales assistant had a french tip styled manicure of these 2 shades on and I thought it looked gorgeous. I didn't have the exact shade of blue as Coco Blue (I'd like to think not) so I needed (yes needed) it to replicate that.

Now I can have a Les Jeans de Chanel collection french tip manicure~

I'm also toying on using Blue Rebel as a base and Canmake's Crack Lac in Silver over it... In my head it looks pretty but guess I'll have to try to know.

Each bottle retails for S$36. I believe it's only available at MBS Chanel and ION Chanel.

Thanks for reading!