YSL Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick 52 Rosy Coral

I rarely wore lipstick in my daily look. I only had 2 tinted lip balm and 1 lipstick which I usually would just forget to wear after finishing my look and it took me years to finish one lip product. But everything changed since Cheon Song Yi came. Cheon Song Yi, the 15 seconds fairy that mesmerizes millions of people in 2014 with her charm in Korean drama My Love From The Star. She is my inspiration to add lipstick on my daily look. The game was like totally change, now that I own 14 lipsticks! All in just one year time. Specifically, I adore Song Yi’s YSL Rouge Pur Couture #52 Rosy Coral and IOPE Color Fit Lipstick #23 Violet Pink (if you want to know more about the lipsticks she used, check this useful link). 2014 is also the year where women dare to slap on that bold lip color, so I shamelessly jumped on that wagon too. I started experimenting with bold colors on my lips thanks to that. 

Today I would like to write a review about the first one, YSL Rouge Pur Couture #52 Rosy Coral. Let’s skip the effort to get this lipstick straight to the review, shall we?

Where should I start? Let’s see..the packaging, the golden shiny case that looks so luxurious. It is sturdy and really protects the lipstick well, but it gets dirty easily by fingerprints. 

The color is ahhmayzing! It literally took my breath away the first time I open it. It is exactly what the lipstick name is, a rosy coral. A wonderful mix of pink and coral, it pops out your lips, and it definitely gives you that oomph factor to your whole look. It can also brighten up your complexion and you know how it will affect the rest of your day, right? You will feel instantly pumped up just by looking at its color. 

On the swatch, the left one is when I swipe it once and the right one is 2-3 swipes. Rosy Coral is pigmented and creamy. It glides pretty easily and has a subtle scent. The color is buildable depends on your liking. The bullet is strong enough for a very light pat on the lip to achieve that transparent natural coral color on your lip if you opt for more subtle look. In the FOTD (pardon the Little Tikes' Car photobomb), I use 2-3 swipes on my lips and usually last on me for a good 4-5 hours. When it fades, it will still leave a nice stain on your lips. It looked a bit muted on the picture, but IRL the color pops out.

I have dry lips and on the several first attempts, I was actually kind of disappointed because the lipstick tends to dry my lips even though I already put on lip balm before. I almost gave up and planned to toss the lipstick away (please don’t scream), but then I decided to try it again remembering the effort that I spent to get it and also the hype from the fans. To my surprise, the lipstick turned out doing well on my lips. I still put on lip balm under it (the same lip balm), nothing is changed, so perhaps maybe my lips wasn’t in a good condition at the previous try. For me, this is not a lipstick on my chapped or very dry lips days because it might look unpleasant since it has creamy and not glossy finish, it will just look awful. A lip exfoliation might needed before you put it on if you have the same problem like me. I would pick something glossier or just stick with lip balm on those days. 

I love this lipstick and clearly it’s a keeper. Will I repurchase when it’s finished? Yes, I do. I haven’t yet to try other Song Yi’s lipstick but I would say this one is worth to try simply because of the distinct color. Let me know which one from Song Yi’s lipstick that is your favorite. Next, I would love to try IOPE’s lipstick. My mom is going to South Korea and hopefully she can grab one for me *crossing fingers*.

Cheers,
Stef

Hourglass Ambient Light Blush in Ethereal Glow and Diffused Heat

Hourglass has been one of the brands that people raving about lately (or at least I think it started around a year ago). Many beauty enthusiasts swear on their Veil Mineral Primer as the best primer ever. The Ambient Lighting Powder also get lots of love from the world due to its ability to recreate the most exquisitely flattering light—from ethereal moonlight to luminous candlelight, as what the website claimed. And then, there comes the Ambient Lighting Blush. They combine the Ambient Lighting Powder with cheek color in order to get that radiant and glowing cheek. It said that each pan is handmade to ensure its balance between the colors and the powder, that is why each blush is one of a kind and they will not have the same pattern on the pan. Wonderful, yes? The blush promised to give you a multidimensional glow that will illuminate your look.

They come in 6 different shades, which are Dim Infusion, Radiant Magenta, Diffused Heat, Ethereal Glow, Luminous Flush, and Mood Exposure. But as much as I wanted to have them all, I got to make my choice, so my picks are Ethereal Glow and Diffused Heat. They are so pretty that I spent some time to ooh and aah at them before collecting the courage to dip my brush on them.

Ethereal Glow has a beautiful cool soft baby pink color. I chose this because I think I need at least one light colored blush that can instantly brighten up my complexion but not in the bold brightening way that pops out your cheek. I want a subtle, soft, yet lighten up my face, giving it a fresh looking kind of face and that is what Ethereal Glow does for me. At first I was afraid that it is going to be too chalky and to pale for my skin (I have light medium skin), but when I swiped it on my cheeks, it gave me the color that I want. I did need to build it up around 3-4 swipes until I get the perfect color on my cheeks, so I think a dense brush will do a better job in applying this blush. 

As you can see in the picture, Ethereal Glow is perfect to pull an all pink theme makeup without making it too pinkish. Just the perfect hue for the whole complexion. You can use it when you want to put on a bright lip or bold eye makeup to balance the look.

Diffused Heat is said a vibrant poppy color, but I would like to call it a lovely coral pink blush. I need a blush that will give me a healthy looking cheek as if my cheeks are blossoming through the day. The color is pigmented, so an opposite of Ethereal Glow, it helps to use softer bristles so it will not pick too much color. I usually try to swipe it lightly and build it up to the color level that I want. The result was astounding! I love love it! Diffused Heat gave me a wonderful color that keeps my complexion looked fresh all day. Did I mention that these blushes last for quite a while, around 6-7 hours without touch up? They just sit there and make your cheeks look pretty all day.

Hourglass blushes also made without parabens, fragrance, talc, nanoparticles, gluten, and not tested on animals. Its perfect for those who concern about their makeup ingredients. 

Overall, I am truly in love with these blushes and definitely will repurchase after I hit the pan. The blush is a bit pricey but I assured you that you really get what you pay.