A Little Bit of Everything

Quickie post: Why I’ve been MIA-ing

Sukie — Sun, 19 May 2013 07:29:55 +0000

Hi darlings, once again, Sukie has played the disappearing act and disappeared for a while again. =(

Life has been crazy. I don’t even know where to start. Work’s been, well, work. Then when I’m off, family takes over where we went on a short break and I found myself without Internet at all. Which is pretty upsetting seeing I was going to blog there and all.

Anyway, I’m back now, back into my slightly hectic work schedule. Thought I’d drop by and say hello to all of you, and include a random shot of the lip products that have been sitting in my bag:

When you see this, I suppose you may think I’m either:

a) a lippie addict

b) Gosh, she hasn’t cleared her bag out in months I suppose!

Take your pick, ladies and gents!

I have to also mention that the shades are all pretty similar and I like all of them bar one, which I feel needs to go straight to the bin because my lips hate them. Then there’s me being all “but it’s so new, I’ve only ever used it once” issue I’ve got. Think I should put it to a blog sale?

Okay so this is gonna be an even more random post with…. A photo of myself. Remember I promised I would post a photo of me wearing the Dior Jelly Lip Pen I recently acquired but love to bits? Here you go!

Sorry, it sure isn’t the greatest photo in the world… I’m also wearing the Diorskin Nude foundation I was raving so much about earlier =)

Have a lovely Sunday afternoon, lovelies! xxx

Dior Jelly Lip Pen in 636 Carioca

Sukie — Mon, 06 May 2013 00:30:00 +0000

These Jelly Lip Pens are amazing. Gorgeous things. Thanks to Clinique’s Chubby Sticks, many brands seem to have jumped onto the lip pencil / balm hybrid bandwagon.

Dior’s no exception with their Jelly Lip Pens.

A little blurb from Dior:

Dior turns the pro jumbo pencil into a trendy summer gloss. A moisturizing balm formula that combines pure colour, ultra-shine and lipcare in an intuitive applicator. Coloured like after biting into tropical fruit, the lips burst with sensuality without that feeling of unwanted texture for those long summer days.

The name itself – Jelly already got me excited. The scent? Sweet. Really sweet. If a sweet had this scent I would be sure to eat loads of it. Moisturising? Heck yes!!

This gives me the coverage of my favourite Guerlain Rouge Gs when layered on without drying my lips up. Texture is definitely jelly-like. It feels incredibly smooth and comfortable, wearing this. It does give me a lovely hint of colour that brightens up my face instantly, well the shade I’ve got does, at least. =)

636 Carioca takes on a peachy tone that has a bit of shimmer. Perfect wearable shade for me. It also lasts a reasonable amount of time on me, about four hours’ wear if I do not consume any greasy Asian food. It lasts through sips of water and a cup (or two) of coffee.

I can’t stop singing praises and I wish I could provide you lovely people with a swatch of this product, but all the photos I’ve taken does not seem to do justice to this pretty colour so…. I promise a proper FOTD will be up real soon!

Until then, do check these out if you can! They retail at RM85 here, about RM20 more than Clinique’s Chubby Sticks but comparing them would be likening them to apples to oranges so I can’t say much, really. But one thing to note, though is that the Dior Jelly Lip Pens only house 2.75g of product whereas Chubby Sticks house 3g of product.

Not much of a different but I thought I’d let you lovely people know anyway.

But back to the Jelly Lip Pens, their texture is different to that of the Chubby Sticks, think I should do a comparison post soon! If I had to choose, I would go with the Jelly Lip Pens as I love how comfortable my lips feel after wearing them. Having family compliment my lip colour helps loads too. =D Dad, who’s not one to compliment my use of makeup (because he thinks natural beauty’s best) even said that my ‘lip balm’ looked really good on me.

FYI, I doubt Dad can tell the difference between a lipstick or a lip balm. =D

Have you caught onto the hype of these chubby pencils? Let me know what you think!

Sampling Sundays: Dior One Essential Serum

Sukie — Sun, 05 May 2013 01:00:00 +0000

Yay for another Sampling Sundays post! Today, I wanted to share my thoughts on the Dior One Essential Serum.

As you can see in the photo above, I received two samples and have since used them up in a span of approximately three weeks.

I was first introduced to the One Essential range by the lovely Lily who managed to bag me my first One Essential serum sample. I used it once and then kept it aside as my skin was then going through a tough time with its breakouts and all.

Here’s what Dior has to say about this product:

One Essential, the first fundamental anti-ageing step by Dior:

- From the first application, skin regeneration begins: the skin is instantly brightened. It is visibly more beautiful.

Push back the limits of anti-ageing effectiveness to enhance the Beauty of Women: this is now possible with One Essential.

More than a simple serum, it is the 1st Universal Skin Boosting Super Serum by Dior.

By eliminating toxins*, One Essential triggers exceptional regeneration* to reinforce the skin’s youthfulness.

All visible signs of ageing (wrinkles, loss of firmness, uneven skin tone) are intensively corrected. Applied before any other treatment, it boosts its performance, amplifying the targeted effectiveness of major anti-ageing active ingredients** for an exceptional youthful appearance.

- From the first application, skin regeneration begins: the skin is instantly brightened. It is visibly more beautiful.

- Day after day, the skin reveals newfound youth: it is firmer, radiant, intensely repaired.

* In vitro testing of ingredients.
** In vitro testing of different anti-ageing ingredients with or without toxins.

Fast forward sometime last month, I received yet another sample of the One Essential Serum. This time, I decided to give it a full trial. I put aside all of my other serums and strictly used this. The texture’s really lightweight and doesn’t feel sticky upon application. Already a major bonus for me as I absolutely detest sticky face products! Here’s a swatch of the serum:

Initially, this didn’t really work well for me as I woke up to a bumpy face. The horror! I then hopped to a Dior counter and asked if this was normal. Thankfully, the SA assured me it’s perfectly fine as this only meant that the product’s at work to clear my skin of toxins!

Using it for two weeks then gave me smooth, pimple-free skin! I was ecstatic! However, I must note that this made my skin slightly drier than usual so I had to use my night moisturiser in the day just to keep my skin feeling comfortable. Other than that, I’m very happy with this product and I would love to repurchase this as soon as budget permits!

Who would benefit from using this? Hmm everyone’s skin reacts differently to various products but I do think that this would work on those who suffer from breakouts as it treats them gently without irritating the skin.

Here’s the ingredient list:

In all, a lovely product I want to have on my dresser table! =)

Have you tried this, or any other serums that claim to “detoxify” the face? Do you believe in them? Let me know in the comment box below! =)

Dior Eye Gloss in 530 Gold Sand

Sukie — Fri, 03 May 2013 00:20:32 +0000

The Bird of Paradise Collection. That’s where this little gem came from.

I’m that excited about this product that I just had to review it (real quick) a mere two days after acquiring this. It also helps that I managed to bag this before it launched in the country.

At RM98 a pop, this isn’t the cheapest product on the market but the fact that I received compliments on the very first day I wore this and even prompted a friend to purchase it on the same day itself speaks a lot about this little tube of goodness.

Allow me to produce a little blurb from Dior before blabbing on:

Fresh Luminosity and Crystal Shine. Dior gel shadow bathes eyelids in aqua freshness for a crystalline shimmer, combining wet shine with aqua light reflections for an exotic look. This water-resistant gloss goes on perfectly evenly in a single stroke for long-lasting results. Available in four multi-faceted colours.

I swatched all four colours available. Apart from this golden silvery shade, they had a coppery one, light green and a teal one. I did not swatch the other shades as I didn’t think they would suit my “neutral, day-to-day look” very well. However, my friend R who complimented me felt that Zenith, the coppery one would suit me fine!

Thankfully, I managed to exert some form of self-control and decided against purchasing it. =)

So these eye glosses come in the size of a miniature lip-gloss tube. Application is done via a doe-foot applicator as such:

Gold Sand takes on a slightly mousse-y texture. Dior claims the Eye Glosses are water-resistant but I doubt they are on my oily lids. Colour-wise, this is a beautiful light gold eye colour with a lot of sparkle in it. I daresay this is glitter central. Not glitter of the chunky sort, but fine, shimmery pretty glitter.

I have not tested this on bare lids but I used Etude House’s eyeshadow primer (this isn’t too bad but it isn’t great either) underneath and it lasted me a decent amount of time. 5 hours of shopping in a mall with a huge crowd on Labour Day before there was slight creasing. Not too bad for me, I reckon!

Here’s a swatch:

One swipe of the doe-foot applicator gives you the amount you see on top of the photo. It is a little too much for the lid so what I do is lightly swipe the applicator across one eye, quickly work it all over my lid with my ring finger and then swipe the same applicator across the other eye.

Having only used this twice so far, I am not the best person to provide you with an in-depth review but I find working with thin layers best for this product. As my workplace is quite casual (people here do not wear that much makeup) I like wearing two thin layers of this as it gives a rather opaque coverage without me looking overdone.

Here’s another swatch, taken under fluorescent lighting because I was trying to capture the pretty shimmer in the product:

I must admit, prior to all these “successful” Dior purchases I was not their biggest fan but it has all changed now.

I love Dior. There, I said it.

I’ve got a couple more Dior items in my pocket and I can’t wait to tell you all about them. =)

Until then, have a lovely day, everyone and thank you for dropping by! <3

Bottoms Up: April Empties

Sukie — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 00:15:27 +0000

Another month, another batch of empties! Here's what I used up!

1. Shiseido Perfect UV Protector

Yes, I used up another bottle. It's been a really hot month.

2. OPI Avoplex Hand Cream

I reviewed this here a little while ago. I love it. Am waiting to use the rest of my hand creams up just so I can repurchase this! Thanks, Steph!

3. Sunplay SPF65+++ Watery Cool sunblock

This I bought when I visited dad some time ago. I left my regular sunblock at home and the weather was just so hot. I randomly grabbed this and it's so cool. Literally. You are left with a cooling sensation after application. Smashing.my only gripe is that this runs out so quickly.

4. Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream

This was a repurchase. Coming home meant I couldn't use some of my slightly richer moisturisers I have grown accustomed to using, so a trip to Kiehl's reminded me on how I used to like this quite a bit. I even reviewed this sometime last year.

5. Shiseido White Lucent Softener w

Another product I enjoy using, and am still trying to plough through the other samples I've got! Expect to see more sample-sized bottles of this over the next few months!

6. SK-II Repair C

I love this serum. It just sinks in so quickly and isn't oily. Mum has since redeemed more of these for me with her Crystal points.

7. Bifesta Cleansing Express

My favourite lazy day product. It's all gone now, and I'm wondering if I should start using my Bioderma. But them we don't get Bioderma here so I'm struggling to use it.

I'm happy I'm making a little dent in my stash and I do hope to downsize it in no time to do that, however, one needs to stop buying. Will make this my May resolution not to purchase any skin care products!

P/S: Am sorely tempted to add makeup to the list but am too chicken to do so. :p

Bourjois Touche Healthy Mix Illuminating Brush Concealer 61 Beige Clair

Sukie — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 00:15:00 +0000

Click pen concealers / highlighters!! I love them for their ease of use but loathe them as sometimes the brush can be wonky, and the fact that bacteria tends to settle into the ~~unwashed~~ bristles puts me off a little!

Then again, nearly every drugstore / pharmacy brand has been producing their very own version of YSL’s Touche Eclat, as I like to call them.

I just had to pick up Bourjois’ Touche Healthy Mix brush concealer. I just had to. At £6.99 (RM35-ish) you can’t quite go wrong with it! After all it did have two of my favourite things in its name: Bourjois (duh) and Healthy Mix (favourite pharmacy brand foundation’s name) so I thought it couldn’t be that bad!

The shape of the brush is nicely tapered, bristles are soft, click pen mechanism dispenses just the right amount of product.

I have the concealer pen in the lightest shade and the texture’s rather thin and yellow-based, good for cancelling out the redness of my skin without turning it sallow. Here’s a swatch:

The swatch on the left depicts a single swipe of product. The brush is quite lovely, I must say as the bristles aren’t scratchy nor sharp and using the brush alone, I am able to blend the product nicely into my skin. The area to the right of the swatch has the concealer blended out.

This isn’t the best opaque concealer out there, if you are looking for one but if you are having a “good eye sack day”, as I like to call it, this does its job well and it brightens the undereye area decently well.

I use this on days when I’m not using my HG concealer because I worry it will run out soon. =D

Lasting power? On my combination skin, this doesn’t last all day as it’s rather thin but it lasts about 4 hours without a primer before those shadows start to show again. Not bad for a pharmacy brand, eh?

Do you like click-pen concealers? I’m on the lookout for some cheap gems from the pharmacy so please let me know if you have one to recommend!

Sampling Sundays: Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Cleansing Foam

Sukie — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 02:00:00 +0000

Hello everyone! The previous week-long hiatus was unintended. Honestly!

+___+

My scheduled posts did not go out as scheduled and I was too caught up with life (read: sleep and sales) to even notice no posts went up. I’m so sorry!!

I struggled a little with today’s Sampling Sunday post, as I wasn’t sure if I should place it as a proper review instead because I have used up many a deluxe-sized sample of this and I think I’ve pretty much used up a full-sized product over time!

The White Lucent Brightening Cleansing Foam is a soft cleansing cream that foams up nicely and basically does its job well. Should I be using an oil cleanser that leaves a thin film of oil behind – Hello, Shiseido’s Perfect Oil – this foam cleanser removes the rest of it, leaving my face soft and clean.

This does not give you the “squeaky clean” effect the way some cleansers do, nor does it feel tight after a while. It is slightly more drying than the SK-II Facial Treatment Gentle Cleanser but this still works fine for my skin!

I’m currently in the process of using up as many sample-sized cleansers I’ve amassed over time so this has been the one cleanser I’ve been using since my SK-II one was used up! I’m kind of tempted to try their Perfect Whip cleanser (the one found in Watsons / drugstores, not over the Shiseido counter) but I must plough on through my cleanser samples before purchasing a brand new tube!

Do stay with me on this journey as this is what this “weekly” column is for!!

Do you ever use samples up? Or do you have a huge stash of untouched samples at home, just like I do? Do share! =)

Trigger-Happy Thursdays: Dior Beauty Workshop

Sukie — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 09:40:00 +0000

Update: Sorry this post didn’t get to see daylight yesterday! Was caught up with work and I forgot I still needed to tweak this post a little bit! +__+

Hello!! I thought I’d stay away from posting the usual photos and go on about a lovely little event I attended two Saturdays ago.

Lily blogged about an hour-long, one-to-one Dior workshop not too long ago where all we had to do is purchase a RM250 voucher (fully redeemable) and a doorgift would be presented to us (samples of one of their lipsticks and concealer, housed in a petite makeup pouch). There was a little bonus here as the first 10 people to e-mail Dior with the password ChloeAsh would receive a full-sized lipstick on top of everything else.

Needless to say, I jumped on it! After all, I was really looking forward to having this private session with a makeup artist as I have so many unanswered questions!

I was paired with Zaidi, whose hands worked magic all over my face, gently dabbing, dusting, smoothing… You get the idea.

Zaidi started everything off by removing my makeup. He used Dior’s Instant Cleansing Water to remove the makeup from my face.

One thing I noted about Dior’s products is that all of them smell really fresh. Not floral, but fresh. The Cleansing Water was no different. I was amazed at how everything came off in one swipe!

After cleansing my skin, he took a good long look at me and said that he would be using the Dior Hydra Life’s range on me. Then, some Moist and Fix was spritz onto my face. Zaidi says that this product can be used as a toner and a setting spray.

After that, The One Essential Eye Serum was used to detoxify my undereye area (really needed it) and some eye cream – Dior Capture Total Multi-Perfection Eye Treatment. They felt really comfortable around my eye area and it didn’t make me feel weighed down / tacky.

Then, some Hydra Life serum was applied all over my face (I’m sorry, I forgot what serum was used) before the Emulsion Serum (a lightweight moisturiser) was layered on.

Now, onto makeup! Zaidi took one look at my skin and said that my skintone would fit the shade 010 perfectly. Referring to my previous post where I reviewed the Diorskin Nude Foundation, I was rather taken aback as I felt that 011 was my correct shade. Lily also kindly pointed out that 011 is indeed my shade as I was matched to it while in Ipoh with her. =)

I didn’t want to say otherwise so I let Zaidi do his thing. First, he prepped my skin with the Capture Totale Multi-Perfection Makeup Base before applying the Diorskin Nude Foundation in shade 010. Some Skinflash was applied to my eye sacks and below my eyebrows as it “brightens the eye area and hides ungroomed brows”.

Zaidi then asked if I wanted a day / night look. I opted for day as I wanted a look I can pull off both day and night. He then whipped out Dior’s new Mono shadows in Tweed and Ribbon.

One little tip I found out is that Skinflash can be used as an eyeshadow primer!

Zaidi first used Tweed all over my eyelids and simply blended the single shade out. The depth this shadow gives is lovely! I term it taupe as it takes on a mauvey / rose shade with quite a bit of shimmer. Ribbon was then used to blend away any harsh edges as well as at the inner corners of my eyes.The MUA then tightlined my eyes ever so slightly with a pencil eyeliner. Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara was then used on my lashes sans eyelash curler. Now… I was wondering why he didn’t use an eyelash curler. Zaidi claimed that the mascara would curl my eyelashes already but sadly on my straight lashes, it didn’t.

Brows were then drawn, albeit a little too much for my personal liking with a brown brow pencil.

Base makeup was set with the Diorsnow Loose Powder. The powder is pink but gave my complexion such a beautiful glow. I have a feeling I may stray from my beloved Meteorites and give this a go. =p Maybe. Zaidi insisted on using the Rosy Glow Awakening Blush on me as he felt the end result would flatter my skin well. And it did!

Lips were first plumped up with the Lip Maximier then lined. Dior Springball lipstick and lipgloss were then applied. I couldn’t resist the lipgloss so it came home with me. =p

Just to summarise this wordy post, here’s a photo of all the items that were used on my face:

I certainly did enjoy my outing very much although the parents were rather shocked, and a little put off by how dark and thick my brows were drawn. The brows made me look rather comical so I will not be posting a photo!

In all, I really enjoyed the day out. Zaidi was lovely and accommodating, the Dior counter staff were friendly and on an unrelated note, I had Mum and Dad all to myself on that lovely day out! =p

K-Palette 1 Day Tattoo Real Lasting Eyeliner in Super Black

Sukie — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 00:30:00 +0000

Eyeliner and I. We have got a love-hate relationship going. I would love to wear eyeliner as I think it brings more definition to my eyes. I would also like to think that wearing eyeliner makes my eyes look awake. They are so bloodshot and red from lack of sleep.

The only downside to all that talk is that I can never get eyeliner to work for me. Initially, I had this disease called the Wobbly-Hand Syndrome (WHS). Then, kind Doctor Lily of ChloeAsh gave me a private lesson on how to line and tightline my eyes! =)

My hands are still wobbly. But with much practice, I manage to get the hang of applying eyeliner. Then comes a little problem. I’ve got oily lids and my eyes have a tendency to water most of the time.

Finding the perfect eyeliner is very hard work for me. I’ve tried so many eyeliners, in pencil form, mostly as I am terrified of liquid eyeliners.

Then my dearest soulmate – Stephanie of Beaute Fabuleuse decides to gift me with a liquid eyeliner, her HG in fact!

This product is said to be smudge-proof, waterproof and even sebum-proof. =D

Here’s a look at the felt-tip brush:

This is my first experience with a liquid liner and I was pleasantly surprised. The tip wasn’t hard and sharp as I expected it to be. Lines drawn were fine and always will be, unlike pencils which needed sharpening.

I do not wear eyeliner on a regular basis as my eyes are easily irritated. But when I do, this is my go-to eyeliner. It’s easy enough for silly me to apply, it stays on without smudging or flaking and it’s properly black.

Guys, at this point of writing, I have actually used this eyeliner up. Only then did I gasp and realise that I forgot to take a swatch of this!

Thankfully, that’s nothing a little bit of Google couldn’t fix! I stumbled upon K-Palette’s Japanese website (you may Google Translate into any language you are comfortable with) where the old version of the eyeliner is put to test against their new reformulated one. I think the one I’m using is the one with the old formula but it already works so well for me that I wonder what the new formula’s like! =)

Here’s the link!

Now if you would excuse me, I need to head to the nearest Sasa to replenish my stock! I’m thinking of trying this out in Brown. What do you think? Have you tried anything from the K-Palette range? =)

Dior Diorskin Nude Foundation 011 review

Sukie — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:15:00 +0000

I don’t know where to start with this foundation! The boyfriend got this this in December last year when we were in Penang. It was, he claims, an early, and the only Christmas gift I’ll be getting from him. I, on the other hand called it an “everyday gift,” much to his dismay.

The Diorskin Nude foundation has been reformulated, and boy am I glad I waited for this to appear on the shelves before taking the plunge!

First looks, it’s housed in an elegant, slim glass bottle that feels good to the touch. Everything about the packaging screams luxury. The lid is reassuringly heavy and clicks into place with a nice, quiet thud. The pump dispenses just the right amount of product. Not too much, not too little. Just right. Just perfect. The pump feels really posh too. Since I’m that bad at bringing tactile imagery to the blog, allow me to direct you to Dior counters worldwide where you may pump the testers and hopefully, get what I mean.

For now, I hope a photo will do.

Here’s what Dior has to say about the Nude foundation:

The star product in the Diorskin Nude range, this cult fluid is the essential item on every backstage make-up artist’s table, and is their secret for creating the enhanced nude look envied by all. In 2012, this light fluid acquires a new subtle velvet finish that blends into the skin, to deliver just the right amount of coverage without masking the skin’s texture. This creates a shine-free, natural glow with a bare skin effect. Women who dream of perfect skin texture and a radiant complexion need look no further: this is the must-have product.

My thoughts exactly.

Like all foundations, I have a problem matching myself to a shade. The Nude foundation comes in three undertones – neutral, yellow and pink. The neutral shades end with a “0″, yellow ends with “1″ and pink, “2″.

A little drama ensued at the Dior counter. SA matched me to shade 010, which is the lightest “neutral” shade. I used the quote marks as I did find 010 leaned pink. Blended into my skin, I looked okay but the redness in my skin still peeked through, making my skin look slightly darker than my neck.

I tried on 011, the lightest shade with yellow undertones and it fit me to a T. Skin looked even, not sallow and it looked like second skin.

The irony to this is that Zaidi, the MUA who gave me a Dior makeover courtesy of ChloeAsh matched me to 010 instead. Again, I looked okay but my neck looked lighter than my face. Not that very much lighter but light enough for me to notice.

I hope it’s not a “you problem“.

Back at the counter pre-purchase, the boyfriend took a look at me wearing 011 and said it looked perfect even though the SA kept saying 010 was my ‘perfect shade’. In the end, I pulled a Steph and went with what my other half recommended.

For those in the dark, Steph’s husband has got a great eye for foundation shades and he always knows which shade would suit Steph just by looking at swatches online. Unfortunately, Paul’s* not quite there yet!

I need to rave about the pump again. It dispenses just the right amount and the texture of the Nude foundation is rather solid in a way. It doesn’t slide all over my hand like the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation (review here).

Instead, it stays in a nice blob, beckoning me to use it. Texture-wise, this foundation applies like a dream! Its lightweight and thin texture means the product has a lot of slip. I like to gently touch my finger against the surface of the foundation and apply it to my face in a light dabbing motion. After dabbing it on with my fingers, I bring out the Shiseido Foundation Brush to blend out the harsh edges.

For me, this product gives me really good medium coverage. After buffing the foundation in with my favourite foundation brush, all the redness on my face disappears. If you have an unsightly blemish, the redness gets taken away and only thing left to do would be to lightly dab on a little more foundation so the zit is fully covered.

The finish this product gives is lovely. Nude isn’t overly dewy or matte. On my combination skin it just gives me the perfect glow. I have to say this is the only foundation I’ve used in extremely humid weather. I’ve braved a gig wearing this as war paint.

Of course, there’s a catch. I wear primer underneath. I have to say I’ve found the perfect combination for braving the hot, humid weather here in sunny Malaysia without having my base makeup slide off my face.

First, I prime my face with MUFE’s HD Primer. Then I apply a thin layer of the Nude foundation (which already gives me medium coverage). I then set the foundation with a light dusting of Guerlain’s Meteorites.

That, my dears gives me the confidence to walk along the streets of Kuala Lumpur, knowing for sure that my base makeup will not slide, will not cake, and will not make me look like Oompa Loompa.

However, I must admit that wearing this alone does make the foundation slide off a little (my T-zone’s rather oily) and it starts to gather around the sides of my nose. Those of you with dry skin may find this foundation a little drying but normal to oily skin types may fall in love with this!

Instead of swatching the Nude foundation alone, I thought I’d add in two other foundations in my stash and it did catch me by surprise.

How, you ask?

Here’s swatch photo #1, taken under natural light:

From left-right: Diorskin Nude Foundation 011, Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation 51, SK-II Facial Treatment Cream Foundation 310

The above swatch photo was not edited. At a glance, all three foundations look exactly the same, which really surprised me as I do have quite a wide array of foundations, some more pink than others but still work well for me. But these three foundations are my favourite and can even be considered Holy Grail products for me.

Allow me to describe these three shades really briefly as this post sure is getting long!

Dior Diorskin Nude Foundation 011

This takes on a very light yellow shade with no pink undertones at all. This is the most pigmented and driest in texture, compared to the other two. Do not get me wrong though, this is NOT a matte foundation but when compared to the other two, this takes on a slightly more powdery texture.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation 51 (Original)

This actually has achieved HG status on my blog a long time ago. I’ve even featured it in most of my FOTDs, not that I have many but it’s just that good that I keep using it! =D Here’s the link if you want to look up on a comparison post I did with this product! If I were to just look at a swatch of this, this looks yellow. Compared with the Dior one though, this is still yellow, but looks more neutral. Texture’s also slightly creamier than Dior but still has a lot of slip to it.

SK-II Facial Treatment Cream Foundation 310

My most expensive foundation purchase to date. I have not had this for very long so I’m going to let you in on what I think about it based on using it for about two weeks. Among the three foundations mentioned, this one is the creamiest but fret not, it doesn’t slide off your face by midday. What sorcery is this, you wonder? I wonder too. =) With this, I do not even use primer but it’s still too early to tell as I have not braved much humid weather with this. =D Again, on its own, it looks yellow but compared with the other two, this does have a very slight pink undertone to it.

I always receive compliments when wearing these three foundations.

I tried taking another swatch photo, this time under artificial lighting:

From left-right: Dior Diorskin Nude Foundation 011, Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation 51, SK-II Facial Treatment Cream Foundation 310

Although there is a slight different to the swatch photo taken under natural light, I could barely see a difference in the photo taken under artificial light. Note that the above photo is unedited too. =)

Back to the Nude foundation. I love it for it’s slightly drier finish. This means I will not need to worry about it sliding off my face (with primer underneath) even if I’m walking along Jalan Bukit Bintang (one of the most famous streets in Kuala Lumpur). Think congested streets, dusty roads, humid weather and more. However hot it is, the Nude foundation never strays from my face. It does not budge. AT ALL.

I know it’s not the MUFE primer because the Bourjois Healthy Mix sometimes strays if it gets too hot eg. Chinese New Year when I’ve got to house-hop.

So it’s got to be the Nude foundation. I’m pretty sure those with skin drier than me would not need to use primer underneath as this would just sit happily on your skin all day looking incredibly natural. I have so much love for this product that I’d go on and on but I don’t think anyone would appreciate me doing that!

Some people believe they only ever need one foundation in their life. I, on the other hand, believe we need a foundation for different occasions.

What’s your current go-to foundation? Please share! =)