Review: NYX Love in Paris Eyeshadow Palette in "Merci Beaucoup"

♫ Fuying & Sam - 分开以后

NYX Love in Paris collection

Thanks to Blanc to Noir, I was given the opportunity to review several NYX items of my choice to review, so today I'll be showing you the NYX Love in Paris eyeshadow palette in "Merci Beaucoup". 'Merci beaucoup' means 'thank you very much' in French. ( ｡◕‿◕｡)

NYX Love in Paris palette - Merci Beaucoup

Click to enlarge photo

The NYX Love in Paris eyeshadow palettes are housed in a shiny black plastic flip case with a large clear window in front, which makes it easy to see which shades are inside. It is fairly light but sturdy, and the lid closes firmly so it won't accidentally open. However, I highly recommend you try not to drop it on the floor. (⌒_⌒;)

Small safety seal at the side

The first time I tried to open the palette, I was surprised when it wouldn't open. Then I realized that there was a black NYX safety seal sticker at the side, which was cleverly camouflaged with the black plastic casing. I love this little feature, as it assures you that the product is brand new and not tampered with.

Love the pretty bow detail <3

What I love about the NYX Love in Paris palettes is the cute little bow detail at the snap closure part. Isn't it adorable?! (✿♥‿♥)

I've reviewed NYX's lipstick before, but have never tried any of their eye makeup products before, so I decided to pick a neutral palette as they'd be more practical for everyday use. I chose the NYX Love in Paris palette in "Merci Beaucoup" because it contains a good mix of nude, brown and pink shades for mixing and matching, suitable for day to night looks. :) It comes with a double-ended sponge applicator.

Here's a closer look at the 9 shades of the "Merci Beaucoup" palette:

And here are the swatches of the eyeshadows:

Top row

Shimmery champagne

Shimmery brown

Shimmery pink nude

Middle row

Matte brown

Shimmery dark brown

Shimmery salmon pink

Bottom row

Matte brown-black

Matte cream

Shimmery brick red

The colours are generally very pigmented (except for the three matte shades) and glide on very smoothly without any fallout. My favourites are the brown in the top row and the shimmery dark brown and pink in the middle row. The shimmery red in the bottom row is also very pretty, but the colour doesn't really suit my skintone for some reason. （；￣д￣）

Simple neutral eye makeup

Here's a quick and simple look I did for a lunch date with my BFF yesterday. :) Pictures above are about 8 hours after, and the colours still look quite fresh with minimal fading. Quite amazing, really, because I didn't apply any primer underneath. ∑(O_O；)

If you're looking for a versatile yet affordable eyeshadow palette with a variety of colours and good colour payoff, I cannot recommend the NYX Love in Paris collection enough. There are several different palettes to choose from, each with 9 coordinated shades that compliment each other. The palette is small and light, great for traveling, and comes in cute and user-friendly packaging. (*^▽^*)

You can purchase the NYX Love in Paris palettes from B2N, along with lots of other NYX products.

*This item was sent to me by Blanc to Noir for review without financial compensation. All opinions expressed are completely honest and strictly my own.

Mivva Box May 2013 Edition

♫ Singer - Song title

Remember the introduction to Mivva Box I did a while back? Well, it's finally time for me to review my first ever (official) Mivva Box! :D I had previously won a Mivva Box from a giveaway, but did not review it as it was already a backdated box by the time I received it. >_<

Love the new box design! :)

Earlier this month, I received the May 2013 Mivva Box to review, which is also a special edition for Mother's Day. :) Naturally, the items inside the box are curated to suit the Mother's Day theme.

I love how the info card had a really sweet and meaningful quote on the front. 世上只有妈妈好~

A very thoughtful card and pretty tea cup was the first thing that I saw in the box. My mum is a great fan of roses (as am I) so it was perfect for her. ｡◕‿◕｡

Here's a quick glance at the beauty/skincare items in the May 2013 Mivva Box:

Mivva Box May 2013 edition

Aupres Ultimate White Extra Intensive Spot Serum (travel size)
Aupres Aqua Active Sleeping Mask (travel size)

I tried the sleeping mask overnight, and it seems to work quite well to keep my skin moisturized all night, but the spot serum made me experience some minor breakouts after using. >_<

Aupres serum and sleeping mask

Garden of Eden Jojo E Serum (5ml)

This serum contains 100% natural concentrates and essential oils, and helps to improve skin elasticity, lighten stretch marks and hydrate dry and itchy skin.

Garden of Eden Jojo E Serum

Nature's Lab Antioxidant Body Scrub

I very rarely use body scrubs, so I can't say how well this product works, but winning the Harper's Bazaar 2011 Best Body Scrub award has got to count for something, right? :D Gonna try this out soon.

Nature's Lab body scrub

O'slee Rosehip Hydra-White Cleansing Powder (30g)

This is one of the products I'm most eager to try, because it's rose-scented and a cleanser in powder form. My first ever (proper) cleansing product was also a powder cleanser, so you can say this product brings back some good memories. :P

O'slee cleansing powder

Somang Danahan RGII Premium Ex Deep Wrinkle Line Cream (sample sachet x3)

"This botox-like cream is a double functional cream for whitening and deep wrinkles." Definitely a product for ladies with aging skin concerns. (¬‿¬)

Somang Danahan RGII wrinkle cream

Claire Organics Handmade Soap - Guinness Stout 

Claire handmade soaps are made using fresh and natural high-quality ingredients so it is gentle on skin. They have various 'flavours' of soap, including mulberry yoghurt, aloe vera shea butter, evening primrose, etc. This Guinness Stout soap has revitalising and anti-acne properties. :)

Claire Organics Handmade Soap

I'm pretty pleased with the contents of this May 2013 Mivva Box. Most, if not all, the items inside are great for mums and daughters alike, as well as introduced us to some new brands and products. The card and tea cup were a nice touch to highlight the special occasion.

You can subscribe to a Mivva Box for RM38 per month (they also have 3 months/6 months subscription), and you can check out their latest updates on the Mivva Facebook page.

*This item was sent to me by Mivva.com for review without financial compensation. All opinions expressed are completely honest and strictly my own.

Canmake Spring 2013 Workshop X International Beauty Expo 2013

♫ Tohoshinki - B.U.T.

Have you heard about the International Beauty Expo (IBE) 2013 held at KLCC? I attended the one last year, and it's as big (if not bigger) as ever this year. It's one of the most comprehensive exhibitions and sourcing platforms for beauty, hair, nail, cosmetics and spa professionals. I was invited by Canmake to attend their Spring 2013 workshop at IBE 2013 with several other beauty bloggers, and boy, was I glad I was there! .｡.:*☆ (⌒▽⌒)☆

The 2 Canmake marketing ladies from Japan, makeup artist sensei from Japan, and the first model :)

Canmake is a Japanese cosmetics company that was established in 1985, and is used by teenagers, office workers and professional makeup artists in Japan as all over the world. Their concept of "cute, high quality and reasonable prices" have made their products a hit in many countries, particularly Asia, and they have 831 outlets worldwide. In Japan alone, they have a few thousand outlets! Σ(゜ロ゜;)

Pink x Kawaii Style makeup points

Orange x Healthy Style makeup points

The makeup artist started by using the Smooth Skin Primer, Smooth Liquid Foundation and Marshmallow Finish Powder (all 3 are new products!) to create a flawless base for both models.

Applying the Smooth Liquid Foundation

Setting with the Marshmallow Finish Powder

After that, she proceeded to apply the eye makeup, followed by cheeks, and finally the lips. She demonstrated how to use the various Canmake products to achieve both Pink Sweet and Orange Natural styles, and the results are really pretty! :) The makeup trend now is the kira-kira (sparkly) 。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。eyes look, so both eyeshadow palettes used have shades that contain pink pearl pigments to give off that sparkly effect.

Pink x Sweet Kawaii style

Orange x Healthy Natural style

Most people believe that pink makeup is more suitable for those with fair skin, and orange makeup for tanned skin, but the host assured us that both looks can suit either types. So for us girls living in sunny countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, etc, don't worry, we can play with colours too! (＾▽＾)

So many cute and pretty makeup items! Beauty blogger heaven~ :D

After the demonstration, we were invited to try out the products used during the demonstration. Of course, all of us wasted no time in 'molesting' and snapping pictures of all the pretty items there! (ノ＞▽＜。)ノ

Base products

Smooth Skin Primer (new!)

Smooth Liquid Foundation (new!)

Marshmallow Finish Powder(new!)

Primer, foundation and powder

Cheeks

Cream Cheek

Powder Cheeks

Canmake's famous and bestselling Cream Cheek blusher

Powder Cheeks to layer over the Cream Cheek

Eyes

Gokubuto Mascara

Eyeshadow Base (new!)

Coloring Eyebrow

Pen Eyeliner - Perfect Black and Brown

Four Shiny Eyes (new!)

Gokubuto Mascara (bestseller) is a film type mascara that can be washed off using warm water

Canmake Eyeshadow Base

Eye makeup products

Lips

Stay-On Balm Rouge (new!)

Creamy Touch Rouge

Stay-On Balm Rouge

Creamy Touch Rouge

There are also a few more items like the Shading Powder, Jewel Star Eyes and Powder Eyebrow that I didn't manage to snap pictures of, but are part of the array of products used to achieve both makeup looks. After the demonstration and testing session was over, I requested the sensei to teach me how to do contouring, and she very kindly showed me how as well as let me try it out myself. :D

Canmake cosmetics display

I seriously cannot resist such pink and pretty makeup display shelves! They're having 20% off all their items at IBE, so it's a great opportunity to get some pretty makeup items. :P

All of the bloggers were given a door gift at the end of the event. Just a look at what they put inside! (≧∇≦)

Blogger door gift! So cute and pink, right?

So many awesome goodies inside the goodie bag to play with! (✿ ♥‿♥)

After the workshop at the Canmake booth, I took a walk around the expo hall to see if there were any interesting items or good deals to grab. XD

I came across this booth at the Korea Pavilion, and couldn't help but be attracted by their pop art design facial mask packs. The company is called SNP, and they have all sorts of skin care products in addition to the masks.

The masks in the top photo were RM9 each, while the 4 (different design) at the bottom were RM6 each. The lady at the booth told us (I bumped into a friend and we were walking around) that their masks were widely sold in Korea but have yet to enter the Malaysian market. I'm on a mask craze lately so I decided to grab a few to try. (◠‿◠)

IBE 2013 haul

Here's my IBE 2013 haul from yesterday! Bought some nail art stuff, a couple of nail polishes from Canmake, and 3 masks from SNP.

I'm glad to be able to visit the International Beauty Expo again this year as media (hehehe) and learn more about makeup and cosmetics. If you're a beauty junkie like me looking for some good beauty deals, or just a casual consumer interested in personal grooming, why not drop by the expo and take a look? Admission is free, and you'll be able to see lots of new brands and haul some bargains (masks, anyone?) from the expo. Tomorrow (21st May 2013) is the last day, and IBE is from 11am - 7pm at KLCC, so there's still time!

Thank you so much to Canmake for inviting me to the blogger event at IBE, and kudos to the Canmake representatives for their hard work, especially the cute and friendly host-san! :D I definitely enjoyed the workshop, and look forward to reviewing the items from the goodie bag! (｡♥‿♥｡)

Review: Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Red Porcelain

♫ Taylor Swift - I Knew You Were Trouble

(Picture source: The Brigade)

Mention pin-up girl, and the first thing that comes to mind is the colour red. Not just any red, but a fiery red-red that just oozes confidence and sexiness.

Red Porcelain by Maybelline ColorSensational

That's exactly the kind of red that is Maybelline's Color Sensational lipstick in Red Porcelain. Now, I'm definitely a pink lipstick kind of girl, and I've never tried such a bright, vibrant red lipstick before in my entire life, so this is a first for me. (⊙﹏⊙)

Transparent red cover

This is what the lipstick tube looks like after unwrapping the outer plastic layer. The cover is a bright transparent red that corresponds to the colour of the lipstick inside (as do the other lipsticks from the ColorSensational range). Too bad that the pretty black flower motif isn't printed on the tube. :(

Shade name and number

The bottom of the lipstick, where the lipstick shade, number and manufacturing date are indicated. Red Porcelain is RP41.

Bright red!

Hand swatch of Red Porcelain

Red Porcelain is a vibrant cool-toned red that claims to suit every skin tone. To me, it seems to lean slightly orange, making it more vibrant than any of the usual reds. I guess that's what they call a true classic red, right?
Lip swatches below.

Lip swatches: Before & After

Try out this lipstick and you will know the true meaning of opaque. Seriously, Red Porcelain is hands down the most pigmented lipstick I've ever tried! Two swipes is enough to achieve the result you see in the lip swatches above. ∑(O_O；) It is super glossy too, so you don't need any lip gloss at all.

However, you will most likely need to use a lip brush to touch up the edges, as bright red shades like this can get messy. ^^;;

（★ｏ★）

I am not one to use red lipstick on a daily basis, as I feel that it's too bold for me, but this one is perfect for special occasions. :3 The lipstick is very creamy and moisturizing, and gives a super glossy, shiny effect so you don't even need gloss. Plus, it's super long-lasting, and leaves behind a gorgeous red stain even after eating and drinking. This is one lipstick that you don't need to touch up!

Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Red Porcelain

✓ Pros: Extremely pigmented, long-lasting, creamy, moisturizing, affordable price, colour is suitable for all skin tones.
✗ Cons: Will stain upon contact, recommended to use a lip brush to touch up edges after application.
The Maybelline Color Sensational lipsticks retail at RM29.90 in Malaysia.

XOXO, Laura

Are you a red-lippie lover? How or when do you rock your red lipstick? Tell me in the comments, I'd love to know! :D