All under one roof

Hello ladies!

I have not been able to catch up on the reviews of the products I've been trying out! I'm probably going to relook the length of reviews so I can get the views out to share with you!

Here's the lowdown of some of the products I've used over the last couple of months, in no order of preference:

Bobbi Brown Extra Eye Repair Cream: Will not repurchase

too rich for me, caused milia seeds. 

Burberry eye-shadows : will add more to collection if $$ permits
great pigmentation, love it but its costly.

Diorshow Iconic Extreme Mascara: Yes! but its often out of stock!
Love this baby. It gives a distinct yet not too dolly/dramatic look! Love how the lashes separates and lengthens with the brush!

Elizabeth Arden Prevage Hydrating Fluid: will not repurchase
Too rich for my skin type and too expensive as well!

Shu Uemura Tsuya Skin: on the fence
I have a love-hate relationship with this product. I'm questioning the underlying reason for its brightening effect and if might be due to the shimmery pearly pink extracts they have added to the serum.

Laneige Water Sleeping Pack Ex: my new HG!
Love how this gel like product keeps my skin supple and soft the next month despite sleeping in an extremely dry environment. My must-have product!

Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder: repurchased once but...
Very fine and lightweight powder, does not cause end of day cracks in the make-up as much as Bobbi's brown loose powder (old version)

Laura Mercier Oil-Free Primer: No way I'm buying again
I don't like this at all, no intention to repurchase. In fact I barely touched the tube.

Loreal Impact Collagene Curl-Fixing Volume Mascara: Not really my type of mascara

ok for the price, slightly clumpy after 2 straight week of use. 

Moogoo Oil Cleansing Method (Combi Skin): Don't waste ur time on this product
Oh this is horrible, the oil is so thick that it clogs my pore. I've suffered tremendous breakouts, likely accrued to this product!

Talika Gentle eye cleanser: Will not repurchase
Not friendly for my eyes, has caused irritation thrice throughout entire use

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And for the next couple of weeks/months... I'll first be trying out Ettusais Skin Extra Version Up, Aqua Shooter and Acne Nighttime Defense Powder!

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new products which my mom kindly gave me from VMV Hypoallergenics where I spotted a new store in Ion Orchard, Singapore. Its apparently an American brand.

Thanks babe for stopping by, I hope the low-down helped! Do email me at dollypalettes[at]gmail[dot]com if you would like me to cover any one of the above in detail before I get to it! (Yes, I know I'm slow!)

psst: have you supported the breast cancer initiative? Its National Breast Cancer Awareness Month every October (:

xoxo

Review: Biore Makeup Remover for Eye & Lip

Hello ladies!

I've been using a couple of different eye make-up removers, ranging from Lancome's  Bi-Facil and L'oreal's Gentle Lip & Eye makeup remover before embarking on my journey with Biore's Pink formula. 

L'oreal's and Lancome's remover were rather similar in my opinion, with the Lancome's formula being a tad stronger than L'oreal's. However both did leave some of my eye makeup smudging after cleansing. 

Still, Lancome's formula was a tad too expensive. So I switched. 

So back to Biore's. I'm only 1/3 through the bottle and I can't wait for it to finish. I won't do my table review for this product as it doesn't quite fit. I'm just going to outline some key pointers.

What I like about the product:

• almost odourless and pleasant
• simple packaging and easy to use

What I dislike about the product

• it doesn't fully remove my waterproof makeups and is not as strong as the L'oreal's formula. It takes quite a few wipes on a few different cotton pads before my makeup is full removed. This will dehydrate the eys and perhaps even cause fine lines. A big no-no. 
• I hate the nozzle as it causes uneven squirts onto my cotton pad, which sometimes causes too much of the formula to be squirted on the cotton pad and hence getting into my eye
• I personally find it too oily but wouldn't mind if the oil works. I don't think the oil is doing its job for this product.

I will not repurchase this product. I will just diligently finish my 2/3s. 

I'm looking forward to try the new Talika gentle eye cleanser for sensitive eyes (retailing S$52 in Singapore) - see the other post.  

Review: Chanel Natural Finish Pressed Powder

Hello folks! Chanel's Natural Finish Pressed Powder (Poudre Universelle Compacte) is the key product for review today. I've been using this pressed powder for over 2 months and decided that it was time to put something down in black and white.

Chanel created this pressed powder to produce a translucent, natural matte finish (not flat matte). It is ultra fine and light weight, to be used after your foundation or after your face makeup. There is also a slight tinge of floral fragrance to the powder. Do not use this powder if you are looking for a medium to heavy powder coverage. 

The ingredients are:
Talc, Nylon-12, Silica, Lauroyl Lysine, Magnesium Myristate, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Magnesium Stearate, Boron Nitride, Isopropyl Lanolate, Aluminium Hydroxide, Potassium Sorbate,  Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Parfum (Fragrance), tocopherol, Lecithin, Glyceryl Stearate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Glyceryl oleate, Citric Acid

I love the sleek compact black packaging that comes with it (well, it's channel afterall!). There's also an applicator puff that comes with it but I generally prefer to use my own powder brush to pick up the powder. There's also a mirror in the package, so its really simple and easy to use on the go, for touch-ups or for setting make-up.

With talc being it's first ingredient, it is no wonder that the powder is so fine and light. While the product does not guarantee to be oil-free nor shine-free, it does allow my make up to stay matte for a good number of hours (8 - 5pm). It is also relatively lightweight such that you do not feel an uncomfortable layer of powder on your face. It doesn't create the kind of over-powdered look which some other powders may give. Most importantly, as my face is really sensitive, I was amazed that this powder did not give me any breakouts or rash despite the floral scent.

However this powder range has only 4 colour choices - clair 20; naturel 30, dore 40, muscade 140 - which I felt was a little limiting. I was matched with a 30 naturel despite my Chanel matlumiere foundation being 20 clair. I guess this was to avoid me looking like a geisha of sorts. Chanel also has another range of oil-free powder which was only suitable for ladies with a really oily texture and needed proper oil-control powders. Otherwise Chanel's Natural Finish Pressed Powder would work for normal to combination skin ladies.

How does it look versus some peers?

When compared to Loreal True Match Super Blendable Powder which is much heavier, Chanel's powder wins hands down for me. Loreal's powder has only 3 shades, of which none really works for me. Also, it's not oil-free, leaving my face looking greasy by midday. Chanel's pressed powder doesn't do the same!

I would also like to compare this against Bobbi Brown's Sheer Finish pressed powder and Laura Mercier's Loose powder. When put against BB's pressed powder, I felt that Chanel's oil control abilities were much better and it also felt lighter than BB's product. Unfortunately, BB does have a wider range of colours which may help to match our face shades better. Lastly, when put up against LM's loose powder, I felt that both worked wonders with different foundations. Chanel's powder had a little more coverage than LM's but LM's mattifying properties edges over Chanel's pressed powder slightly. Still, both powder's key ingredients are talc, which in essence is simply powder.

Summary

In short, I love this powder as I generally prefer lightweight makeup but the price tag at S$72.00 is pretty hefty! I would use this concurrently with my Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Powder.