Beauty Enthusiast (mainly lipstick). Please note some affiliate links give me a small commission at no extra cost to you.
MAC describes Viva Glam I as matte brown-ish blue-red. I don’t see the brown but I guess it’s a deeper red? This is a really nice red for the holidays, on the lips it looks like a true red to me (I guess the blue base comes in)
100% of proceeds from the Viva Glam series goes to health and rights of people. During the 30% sale at MAC this remained full price
Price: $19 for 0.1 oz / 3 g
Low key glad my MAC reds are slightly different (lol)
Sephora description
-Pitera™: A bio-ingredient rich in vitamins, organic acids, minerals, and amino acids that work together to support skin’s natural cell renewal process.
-AHA (Alpha-hydroxy acids): A group of natural acids that gently remove dry and dead skin cells, unclog pores, address the causes of breakouts and sun damage, and reduce the appearance of fine lines.
The famous SK II. I purchased this last Dec when Sephora had a $25 off $75 coupon. This was $76 so I felt like I was getting the maximum discount, even though it is still the most expensive toner I’ve purchased to date. As the ingredients list order indicates, a toner it has mostly water as opposed to 90% pitera like the Essence claims. Given the salicylic and lactic acid, this formula is meant to gently exfoliate the skin and help the absorption of your essence/other products.
After using 1/2 the bottle, I can say that this has no real effect on my skin. My breakouts are mainly controlled by hormones, and I don’t see a difference in my pores or anything. It is possible my skin is used to 2% BHA and salicylic acid cleansers, so this has a lower dosage which is why it’s less effective? Either way, it is very refreshing and not as “smelly” as the essence. I will continue using this bottle up but probably won’t repurchase. Hyram on YT recommended this in a video, saying it’s more worth it than the SK II essence. As a toner mask it is great (as expected) but I could just use a $20 toner.
I’ve also used up the Missha version of this toner (review here) so if you don’t want to splurge, there is always that option. If you’re not sure if SK II Essence is worth the price, this Clear Toner could be a good intro. Also, if you want to use a thin cotton pad (instead of your hands), I highly recommend Unicharm ones, they are supposed to absorb 1/2 the amount usual cotton pads do.
Price: $76 for 5.4 oz / 160 ml
Get it on Amazon
Fun fact, I bought this from Macy’s FULL PRICED a while ago. No idea what I was thinking bc the packaging is not super cute (I prefer all black), and I didn’t even try the powder for color until now (I think, I had felt bad about returning bc I had it sitting around until I realized it had been a few months).
Chanel website description
An effortless multi-use face powder that enhances, brightens or bronzes the appearance of the complexion for a custom, healthy-looking glow. Use alone to heighten skin’s natural beauty or over makeup for a sheer, luminous finish.
Innovative technology protects against skin-dulling environmental stressors, while White Rose and Cotton Flower offer absolute comfort for even the most sensitive skin.
For a sheer makeup effect, apply with the included half-moon brush using large sweeping movements from the center of face outward.
For a sculpted makeup effect, sweep a lighter shade over forehead, chin and bridge of nose using the brush tip.For a sun-kissed makeup effect, use a matching or slightly more intense shade on areas of the face that naturally catch light.
Not sure if you can tell, but the color is slightly orange (I should’ve gotten N 10 instead of N 20, rookie mistake).
Essentially this is a setting powder, not a powder foundation). Per ush, Chanel products are fragranced. Their scent is generally floral, almost like a perfume. One of my favorite YTers (HelloCatie, if you speak Mandarin) actually featured this in her “best and worst” of the month, where she said the powder makes her makeup look worse at the end of the day compared to not using a powder. (Unfortunately, I already had this powder by the time I saw her video). At most I can use this as a very sheer bronzer, or maybe a natural shadow to blend out the edges. Ideally I should pawn this off someone who’s 1 shade darker than me.
Price: $58 for 0.42 oz / 12 g
Going forward, you might see Chanel pop up more than other luxury brands, bc it’s one of my favorites. I enjoy some of their leather goods if I am in the mood to spend that kind of money (see my Chanel Mini Flap post here). Their makeup is decent but overpriced (esp when the plastic packaging is so flimsy, I have another review coming soon), so I get products every now and then when I see something that’s more unique or practical that I will use all the time (obv this powder was a bad purchase). Recently I got the Le Blanc essence lotion and the big 1 oz loose powder but haven’t opened them. I currently have my eyes on their eyeshadow quad, and I may also get a highlight or powder blush at some point. I will definitely collect more lipsticks from them down the road (not the matte formula though). If one day Louis Vuitton made makeup, I would collect those too if the packaging is nice.
Have you tried luxury products that are good? I was eyeing the Dior powder foundation a while back
Happy New Years Eve~
Are you excited for 2020? This is probably one of my holy grail products I found this year
First ingredient is petrolatum aka Vaseline – followed by a ton of other ingredients
Only 1 side of the sponge tip holds enough product, otherwise I feel like I’m applying too much. Vaseline is ok for your lips but it locks in moisture as opposed to actually applying any.
I follow a Taiwanese Youtuber, HelloCatie who said even if you don’t take care of your lips every day, this lip balm will moisturize your lips enough to prep for lip products. I only apply lip balm at night (not during the day usually unless it’s hella dry), and I have to say this is the most moisturizing lip balm I’ve ever used. Whenever my lips are dry or peeling, I can always count on this to help them overnight. The first ingredient is petrolatum which is Vaseline, but I think this is superior to some other lip balms that are petrolatum based. Obv for $32 (0.2 oz of product) it should be amazing – if you feel like no lip balm ever really helps your lips that much, try this one!
Get it on Amazon
(Update 12/17/20) I bought another one for 30% off during black friday, this is definitely a staple in my room
I also liked the Jouer one (link here) but the application isn’t as easy as a sponge tip for me
Happy Thanksgiving Eve! I am almost out of this eye cream so I thought I’d review it before I’m completely out.
I only use eye cream at night so it took me nearly 1.5 years to use this up. If you’ve used Shiseido eye creams before, you know that they also tend to have a thicker texture. I personally haven’t seen a difference in undereye in terms of brightening but I also don’t have really dark undereyes. If I use it twice a day (this winter I noticed) I actually start to get a little milia, which makes sense bc the 2nd ingredient is dimethicone (smh shiseido, smh). I will not be repurchasing bc this was a just there product.
Price: $63 for 0.5 oz / 15 ml – standard eye cream size. I realized this actually has pretty bad/average reviews on Sephora but I think I got it from Costco for like $40 if not less
Get it on Amazon
My mom has used the Benefiance eye cream for years (I remember they used to be like $50, now it’s $70 retail). The ingredients list there is quite a bit different
Comparison with the clicky packaging one (Rouge Allure Velvet) – obv the Rouge Coco is more classically Chanel.
Tried taking a flash photo – there are very fine gold sparkles in this
Gabrielle is a nice berry red, not too pigmented but buildable,
This is probably one of my favorite products I bought from Chanel. I don’t have a high opinion of their cosmetics ever since their SPF 15 powder compact broke on me (you can feel that it’s a cheap plastic, for this reason I don’t think I’d ever get another compact product from them e.g. eyeshadow, blush, powder). This lipstick, however, has a nice weight on the lid and feels really nice in your hands. I got this for $28 at Costco (the deal was gone in like 2 days), while it retails for $38 at most department stores.
If you see a good deal with this lipstick, I highly recommend it! I feel very classy taking it out of my purse to apply
So I used almost every morning over the course of… a year? More or less
I purchased it after a Taiwanese blogger raved about how it feels like a boost of hydration on the face. If you read the ingredients, you’ll see denatured alcohol is actually the 5th ingedient. This doesn’t really have any fragrance I can detect, the texture is a slightly viscous liquid, very refreshing. However, I haven’t see any difference in my skin now that I am out of it. I think if you’re looking for an effective essence you can pass on this one – it feels moisturizing but once I actually put on makeup or sunscreen it is not moist enough.
Price $45 for 6.8 oz – this price is a lot lower than a lot of essences out on the market (looking at you, Tatcha and Estee Lauder). Get it on Amazon
$30 for 0.19 oz / 5.5 g
Interesting applicator, seems to distribute not enough product but it’s always good to not oversupply
Texture is not sticky, not long wearing (as expected of lip glosses) 
As you can tell it’s very sheer, which I’m sure some people like. I personally prefer more pigment since my lips are kind of pale now, but it’s Chanel so… I’m going to keep it for collection’s sake (:
I think this color looks better swatched. On my lips it’s ok, not super pigmented. The texture is very smooth but I still think YSL makes the best high end lipsticks (review here). Obv the packaging is very nice quality, I am glad I purchased it but the color is meh. I got it at Costco for $25 (0.12 oz)
The smell is a little perfume-y too. I think because this color is shimmery it can also settle in my lip’s fine lines
Idk if you can tell but this mascaras have little fibers in there, which can help elongate your lashes
As you can tell, 2 coats made a way bigger difference. If you’re into the natural look this could give you a defined look (but, if you have to remove mascara at the end of the day, I feel like it should make a noticeable difference)
This mascara doesn’t claim to be waterproof, so for a non waterproof mascara this kept an ok curl, unlike most non waterproof mascaras that just leave my eyelashes straight
Would I repurchase?
Probably not, a lot of drugstore mascaras performs similarly if not better
Would I recommend it?
Yes, if you don’t like waterproof mascaras. But it isn’t that cheap so maybe wait for the Sephora sales
Get it on Amazon
Connie and Lipsticks 