REVIEW: Top Beauty Picks Part II - Tom Ford Cheek Color and Chanel Joues Contraste

Part II - Blush:

Tom Ford Cheek Color in 02 Frantic Pink with Tom Ford Cheek Brush

Tom Ford Cheek Color comes in 6 flattering permanent shades and is by far the most excellent formula of blushes I have ever tried. I have a heart shaped face with high cheek bones, which means unlike most Asians, I do not contour but instead, focus on applying blusher to my cheek area, creating an illusion of a fuller cheek (otherwise - I'd look like Medusa). Frantic Pink is a very sheer, yet buildable baby pink. This is perfect for those of you who likes using one blusher for all occasions. It contains very slight shimmer and when applied, gives an illuminating touch similar to the effect of highlighters. I reach for my Tom Ford cheek brush for the application as it is very dense, picking up lots of product and allows the sheer pink to be easily applied to my cheeks. With that being said, this does not mean you cannot use the cheek brush if you'd like a sheerer wash of colour. Simply pick up some colour on your brush and use dabbing motions on your cheeks instead of circular motions for a light wash of colour. If you apply too much, turn over to the clean side of the brush and blend it out.  

The packaging of Tom Ford blushes is amazing. I am a very packaging-oriented person and packaging can push me to buy a product without thinking twice. The blush comes in a heavy bronze rectangular packaging with a gold front rim with Tom Ford embossed on it. It has a nice magnetic closure and also a little mirror when you open up the blush. The texture of Tom Ford's blushes are very soft and smooth. A comparable blush off the top of my head would be the Burberry's Light Glow Natural Blushes. Due to its lightness, Frantic Pink looks better on people with a lighter complexion (I vary from a Mac NC20 - 25) and Frantic Pink does not show up well (or become a little muddy) on my yellow skin tone. Most of my blushes are coral or have coral undertones but I love how long lasting Tom Ford cheek colours are - this lasts at least a good 10 hours on me without budging. I put this on as a base colour before layering my Chanel (below) on top so that my cheeks won't lose all colour at the end of a long day.

Chanel Joues Contraste in 65 Espiegle with Chanel Blush Brush

Many bloggers have raved and continue to rave about Chanel Joues Contraste blushes. I couldn't resist and jumped on the band wagon with of course, Espiegle, a sheer coral blusher. Espiegle contains golden flecks of shimmer that compliments the coral very well.

When applying this blusher alone (which is rare for me) I reach for my Tom Ford cheek brush. However, when layering it over Frantic Pink (above), I like using my Chanel Blush Brush for a wash of coral over the sheer pink. The Joues Contraste also comes with its own mini brush, though it does not perform great, it is perfect for travelling or short trips and situations where you don't want to bring a full size blush brush with you. The packaging of Chanel products are gorgeous in general and the Joues Contraste is no different. This comes in the standard Chanel black lacquered packaging with the CC logo in the middle. There is little button you press before the lid pops open and with it comes a mirror the size of the blush. 

The wear time of this blush however, is shockingly disappointing. I believe this blusher disappears off my face after about 4 hours and as I mentioned in my previous post, I do not reapply my makeup, so in this aspect, the Joues Contraste failed to impress. 

However, I give credit to how Chanel brought out an excellent range of blush colours. Espiegle is an extremely flattering, wearable coral. For all those who are afraid to try out coral blushes but still wants to nevertheless, this may be the choice for you. It is buildable, but I am not in love with doing that as it appears slightly powdery when built up. 

Left: Chanel Joues Contraste in 65 Espiegle / Right: Tom Ford Cheek Color in 02 Frantic Pink

Last but not least, both Tom Ford and Chanel are premium makeup brands and with it, again, comes a hefty price tag. The Tom Ford Cheek Color is HK$450 for 8 grams of product and the Chanel Joues Contraste I believe is actually more expensive at around HK$350(?) for only 4 grams of product. All in all, even though Tom Ford carries a steeper price tag, for the amount of product you are getting, it is definitely more worth it. I highly recommend the Tom Ford if you're not very familiar with cosmetics as you won't be confused with a large shade range available (only the permanent range is available in HK). If you're after a larger shade range however, the Joues Contraste may interest you more. 

Stay tuned for Part III: Eyeliner.

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Thanks for tuning in!

V

REVIEW: Top Beauty Picks Part I - Giorgio Armani Master Corrector and Maestro Eraser

As I work crazy hours every week, I don't usually put a load of makeup during the week. My usual morning routine includes slapping on sunscreen as quickly as I can, put on under-eye concealer (with the little sleep I get, this step is NEVER SKIPPED), brows, light blusher if I happen to look like a vampire that morning, mascara if I remember, some setting powder and I'm out of the house within 20 minutes.  

As you can tell, when it comes to makeup application, I am probably as lazy as you can get. First, I hate reapplying makeup and never do it, so the products that have become my staples are all long-lasting and will not disappear off my face during any hot (32°C+), humid/rainy (90%+) summer day of Hong Kong. Second, I don't usually apply foundation or even a tinted moisturizer unless I need the extra coverage due to hormonal acne. I also do not often apply eyeshadow (even though I cannot seem to stop purchasing them) unless I am going out with friends at night.

REVIEW: Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Even Finish Foundation SPF 15

The Long-Wear Even Finish Foundation with SPF 15 is one of Bobbi Brown's latest liquid foundation releases. It is marketed as a natural-looking and long-wearing (surprise surprise) foundation with an oil-free formula. This makes it ideally suited to oily/combination skin types. The make-up artist at the Bobbi Brown counter also explained that the foundation is gel-based, creating a barrier between your skin and the foundation, which is what makes it supposedly so long-lasting. 

This is what Bobbi Brown has to say about it on her website:

"Finally - a natural-looking and long-wearing foundation. Comfortable and hydrating, this medium to full coverage oil-free formula never looks cakey or masky. Glycerin and shea butter keep skin feeling moisturized while a gel base creates a lightweight finish that stays color-true. Lasts for up to 12 hours even in the most humid conditions. Protects skin from future damage thanks to broad spectrum SPF 15 with antioxidant vitamins C and E."

I picked up the shade "Warm Beige" (shade 3.5) and it's a perfect match for me. For reference, I am a MAC shade NC30 right now and generally in the summer, and  shade NC20/NC25 in the winter. 

As far as packaging goes, I couldn't be happier. The frosted glass bottle looks elegant but still simple and chic, and the pump dispenser works very well, allowing you to control exactly how much foundation you want to pump out. Generally, I use 1.5 pumps to cover my entire face. So far, I've only tried applying it with my fingers and it works perfectly well this way.

Some background on my skin, I have pretty oily skin and it is very acne-prone. I also have quite large pores on my cheeks (yikes!). My ideal foundation is something that is medium to full coverage, and oil-free. It's also very important to me that my skin still looks like skin and not caked with make-up. 

So, after over a month of daily use, here's my verdict on the foundation:

Pros

- excellent at evening out redness, providing a very even skin tone and finish

- feels weightless on the skin

- looks like real skin (as you can see in the picture above, you can't even detect it on my hand once it's blended in)

- doesn't cause any breakouts 

- comes in a wide range of shades (20!)

Cons

- starts to fade after about 6 hours, meaning that my acne-scars start to show through the foundation, requiring some touch-up (which I'm usually too lazy to do!)

- the hefty price tag (HK$420)

Lastly, I can't say much about the moisturising claims, as I've never had any issues with dryness. This is something that will have to be tested by someone with a drier skin type. However, I can say that the foundation has never made my skin drier than it normally is. 

Overall, a solid foundation especially if you have oily, acne-prone skin. To prolong the wear of this foundation, I would suggest using a primer underneath. I found that it lasted much longer on my skin when I layered it on top of the BareMinerals Prime Time foundation primer.

Thanks for dropping by! Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below :) We'd be happy to have a chat! 

Meanwhile, check out our instagram for regular updates: http://instagram.com/primpprimepose

S

PRODUCT REVIEWED:

Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Even Finish SPF 15

REVIEW: Jurlique Rose Moisture Plus Moisturizing Cleanser vs Hada Labo AHA + BHA Mild Foaming Cleanser



Jurlique

First, let's talk about the Jurlique. Many of you will be familiar with Jurlique. Jurlique is an Australian skincare brand that has been developing biodynamic beauty products since 1985 - meaning that their ingredients mostly come from plant extracts. Jurlique has a herb farm in Adelaide, Australia where they use organic and sustainable methods to farm and harvest the ingredients they require for their products, including rose, lavender and calendula. For the people who love their botanical, organic products, Jurlique may well be a brand worth considering.

Welcome to PrimpPrimePose!

Hello internet friends. Thank you for stumbling across PrimpPrimePose and a very warm welcome to you all! 

So, a little about ourselves. There are two of us running this blog: Vivian and Stephanie. We have common passion for all things related to make-up, skincare and fashion! Living in a hectic and bustling city like Hong Kong means that our skin is constantly suffering from the effects of stress and pollution, which is exactly why we need to pamper ourselves to keep in tip-top form. 

We decided to start this blog to serve as a platform for us to share our thoughts and opinions on recent purchases and trends, as well as to recommend products we feel are worth spending your hard-earned cash on. We love to treat ourselves and with this blog, we'll be able to share our treats with all of you out there :)

We would love to hear your thoughts so please feel free to leave comments on our posts and if you like what you see, please subscribe/follow! For now, check out our instagram to keep updated:

http://instagram.com/primpprimepose

Happy reading xxxx