Review: Catrice Prime and Fine Pore Refining Anti-Shine Base

The Catrice Prime and Fine Pore Refining Anti-Shine Base is supposed to be a primer designed for oily skin.

This product, unfortunately, did not work on my super oily skin ;/

It goes on feeling like a moisturiser. It doesn't take long before my face gets super oily.

Certainly NOT a recommended product :(

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Catrice Prime and Fine Pore Refining Anti-Shine Base
30 ml/ 1 .01 fl oz

Made in Italy

Normal Retail Price:  RM24.90
Available from; Guardian

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Review: Rimmel Stay Matte Long Lasting Pressed Powder

The Rimmel Stay Matte Long Lasting Pressed Powder is one product that has had many rave reviews. So, on my trip to the UK in 2015, I just had to purchase it.

This product comes in translucent as well as several other skin toned shades. I purchased mine in shade 005 Silky Beige from Boots. I had not gotten around to using it until recently after I finished using my Revlon Naked compact powder.

To be quite honest, I have no idea what the rave over this product is really about. I found the Rimmel Stay Matte Long Lasting Pressed Powder to be no different from the other compact powders that I have used before (only that some of the other compact powders that I have used in the past, do not claim to be shine control). It does nothing in terms of shine control on my super oily skin.

Since I already have bought it, I would carry on using it but would I buy this product again? No. This is a meh product in my opinion. I'd prefer to give other products out there a try.

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Rimmel Stay Matte Long Lasting Pressed Powder in 005 Silky Beige
14g

Made in England

Normal Retail Price:  £3.99 (I got mine while it was on the 3 for 2 promo)
Available from: Boots UK

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Review: Essence Lip Liners

Essence Lip Liners in 07 Cutie Pink, 08 Red Blush & 15 Honey Berry

These are not new on the market. I've read many reviews about the Essence Lip Liners and only recently got around to purchasing some. I started out purchasing three shades and went back to purchase two other colours --- yes, that is how much I like them!

Essence Lip Liners in 11 In the Nude & 14 Femme Fatale

These are the new formulas and they are harder than the old formulas (I know this as some of the testers at the stores are the old formula. FYI the old formula has a grey coloured cap unlike the new formula that has a similar coloured cap).

I colour my lips with these lip liners and apply my Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick 3D Volume Lip Shine over it. They go well together. 

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Essence Lip Liners
1g

Made in Germany

Normal Retail Price:  RM5.90 (Yes, it is that cheap!)
Available from: Selected Guardian and Watsons 

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Review: Boots Zingy Berries and Cream Shower Gel

I love anything berries. I came across the Boots Zingy Berries and Cream shower gel while I was in Bangkok. I was on the lookout for a shower gel to use while I was there as the shower gel that was supplied by the hotel that I was staying at was cheap and nasty.

The Boots Zingy Berries and Cream shower gel smells heavenly and it lathers up nicely with loads of suds. It was on sale (reduced from 120 Bath to 490 Bath).

This is definitely a love for me. In fact, I loved it so much that I went back and purchased two more bottles to take home with me.

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Boots Zingy Berries and Cream Shower Gel
250 ml/ 8.4 fl oz

Made in UK

Normal Retail Price:  120 Bath (I got mine for 490 Bath as it was on sale. I got a further 5% Tourist Discount from Boots and it ended up costing only 466 Bath)
Available from: Boots Thailand

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Review: Cotton On Rubi Pacific Plimsole in Oat Red Stripe

My cute Rubi Pacific Plimsoles in Red Oat Stripe 

But the insoles aren't glued properly!!! :(

I love Cotton On's Rubi shoes. They have some really cute and playful designs and on top of that, they are comfortable but after owning a few pairs of their plimsoles I have one major gripe --- the insoles don't stick! These are pictures of my brand new Pacific Plimsoles that I have just worn today. Notice that the insoles came apart after only ONE wear! :(

These aren't the only pair of Cotton On's Rubi plimsoles where I had this problem --- I have two other pairs of Rubi primsoles that also have problems with the insoles not sticking to the inside of the shoes.

Review: Catrice Nude Illusion Make Up

This is my current daily wear foundation now that I have finished my Catrice Photo Finish Foundation and my Bourjois 123 Perfect Foundation. 

I purchased this foundation somewhere last year but have held off using it on a daily basis as I wanted to finish my other foundations first. 

This foundation is packaged in a frosted glass bottle that comes with a pump that allows for more hygienic dispenses of the product rather than having to pour the product out of the bottle.

The consistency of the Catrice Nude Illusion is runnier than the Catrice Photo Finish Foundation and it feels a tad thinner too. Wearing it feels like I have nothing on my skin, a feeling that I like. 

It is easy to apply, dries quickly and looks nice when applied on my skin. I like it that it costs a fraction of what other foundations out there cost as it made the decision to purchase it in order to try it out much easier as I wasn't breaking the bank!

The one drawback about this foundation line is that there are only three shades available. Thankfully, I matched the darkest share which is 030 Nude Beige.

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Catrice | Nude Illusion Make Up
30 ml

Made in Italy

Normal Retail Price:  RM36.90 (I got mine for RM20.85 as it was on 30% discount and I had an addition RM5 Guardian voucher)

Available in selected Guardians
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Review: Biore UV Perfect Face Milk

I've been going around sans sunscreen for years (I know, I know, it's not a good thing) basically because I hate the icky feeling that most face sunscreens leave on my super oily skin.

I recently watched a BBC documentary on skin aging and after watching it, I thought that I might give sunscreens another go. My online research led me to Biore's UV Face Milk which has received good reviews on the net.

The product is packaged in a plastic bottle that comes with a ball bearing in the bottle that allows you to mix the product before you dispense it. The bottle has a tapered opening which makes it possible for you to dispense the product by the drop.

The Biore UV Face Milk is very thin and runny in texture. It dries almost instantly upon application thanks to its alcohol content. It dries to a matte finish and makes my skin feel silicone smooth. It is so thin in texture that I can't even feel it on my skin!

It also works as a makeup base and believe it or not, it actually controls my super oily skin, something that I absolutely love!

My only gripe about this product is that it leaves a white cast on my olive toned skin if I use too much :( I have, however, found that if I use the product sparingly and make sure to spread the product evenly, the white cast isn't so obvious.

Applying my foundation on top of this product is easily done and my foundation simply glides over it.

I've never used any silicon based product on my skin before this and so far, I haven't experienced any problems with my skin reacting to it.

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Biore | UV Perfect Face Milk
30 ml

Made in Japan

Normal Retail Price:  RM32.90

Available in Guardian & Watsons
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Soap & Glory Crazy Sexy Kohl Review

I saw this on the Boots website after Xmas while I was in London and seeing that it was on sale at half off, I just had to have it! So off I went to the nearest Boots outlet the very next morning and was thankful to have been able to snag one of the last few tins of the Crazy Sexy Kohl left on the shelf (and boy, were they going fast!!!).

Soap & Glory's Crazy Sexy Kohl is a set of 5 different colored kohl pencils (black, brown, blue, purple and green) packaged in an eyeliner pencil box, or to be more accurate, tin. 

I wanted to try the Smoulder Kohl before this but the normal retail price of £5 each too much to pay for a product that I wasn't sure if it was going to work out for me given my oily skin condition. However, at the half off price of £7 for the entire tin, each pencil costs around RM10, making the kit a steal, if you ask me. 

As it normally goes with me, I use my eyeliners up one by one and I have only tried using one of the Smoulder Kohls which is the Superblack one. I have read great reviews about this product and was interested in finding out how it would perform on my super oily skin in a super humid climate.

It goes on well and have been often compared to Urban Decay's 24/7 eyeliners by other reviewers in the blogosphere. It is super creamy and smooth and goes on without any tugging or pulling. The color payoff is also great.

When I first applied it on my lids, the color smudged and transfered onto my crease by the end of the day. I had to touch up at about lunch time as I didn't want it to look seriously like smoky eyes.

When applied on my waterline, the color lasted for about an hour and a half before travelling down to the skin beneath my lower lashes. Hmmm....I really wanted this product to work for me....

Determined to make it work, I later tried applying this eyeliner to my lids and then smudging it out with an eyeliner brush and it worked! This method makes the product last on my super oily eyelids for the entire day. Yay!

I love this product.

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Soap & Glory |Crazy Sexy Kohl
Made in the UK

£14.00 (Normal Retail Price), I got mine for £7.00 (Half Price After Xmas Sale at Boots, London)

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Earth Care | Feet for a Queen Rosemary Avocado Healing Foot Balm

I purchased that Earth Care Feet for a Queen Foot Balm the same time that I purchased the Earth Care Orange Tea Lip Balm (read about it here). I simply love the lemon grass scent of this balm. 

I have to be honest though that the texture of the balm of the tester that I tried is much different than the texture of balm that I purchased. The tester balm was super soft while the balm that I purchased is kinda hard. Hmmmm........

Getting the product out of the tin can get to be a tad of a challenge. I have now resorted to scraping a tiny bit of the balm off with my finger nail and applying it to where I want it on my feet. 

I normally apply this balm on my feet just before bed. I like the feel of the balm on my feet but is it making my feet smoother or improving the texture of my feet? Hmmmm.... I can't really say, to be honest.

I treat this more as a feet pampering product. Results? None that I can see nor feel the difference after using it almost daily for almost four weeks now.

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Earth Care Soaps | Feet for a Queen Foot Balm

30g

RM18.00

Purchased in the Christmas Stall in The Curve

Made locally with organic products

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Revlon Color Burst in Berry Smoothie Review

Okay, I admit, I'm probably the last person on the planet to get on the Revlon Lip Butter rave wagon but hey, better late than never, no?

Where I live, Revlon products seem to be on the steeper end of drugstore makeup products. So I was pleasantly surprised when I was in Tesco's last week and they were having a 75% off discount on Revlon Color Burst Lip Butters and since I had heard many good things about it on the Internet, I decided to purchase one and find out what they hype was all about. 

I only purchased one as I wasn't sure about the color payoff and there were no testers available :/

I picked what seemed to be a safe neutral colour --- Berry Smoothie.

I now get what the hype around this product is all about. The formula of this product is fantastic. It's really moisturising and not drying at all, something that I really love about it. 

I like how the cover of the lipstick reflects the color of the lipstick inside. This would be of tremendous help especially when looking through my stash of lippies!

The colour payoff of Berry Smoothie is not much on my lips. It takes a few swipes of the product for it to show up on my pigmented lips. It looks natural on me and I like it. Now I wish I had picked up more! Definitely a love!

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Revlon Color Burst Lip Butter | Berry Smoothie
2.55 g

Made in U.S.A.

Normal Retail Price: 34.80 (I got mine for RM8.70, 75% Off at Tesco)

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Wilko Fruits Chocolate Orange Fragrance Explosion Body Butter Review

I purchased this product out of curiosity while I was in London. This is a Xmas limited edition product. It smells wonderful, just like chocolate orange, which I absolutely love. It was on Christmas clearance and was dirt cheap --- just 50p!

So, what is it like? Well, not great, I'm afraid. This body butter is not like the soft whipped butter consistency that I am so used to but instead is more like hard butter just out of the fridge. The texture is hard and you really need to dig in hard to get any product and when you do get some out, it is crumbly and can actually fall off your fingers :(

It takes some serious rubbing to work the product onto the skin. I guess, this is one case where you get what you pay for. 

I'm so glad that I stuck by my buy one first rule and purchased only one tub to try out the product first before deciding on buying more.

The smell, however, is simply wonderful. I will, however, persevere and finish up this product as I hate to see it go to waste.

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Wilko | Fruits Chocolate Orange Fragrance Explosion Body Butter
100 ml

Made in China

Normal Retail Price:  £1.00 (I got mine for just 50p as it was on 50% off)

Available in Wilko, UK

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Catrice Better than False Lashes Mascara Review

I purchased the Catrice Better than False Lashes mascara a few days ago. The tube is gold in colour and there is a picture of the mascara wand on the tube which is helpful in assisting you when purchasing the product should there be no testers available. 

The wand is the brush type and is big. This mascara is of the drier formulation and I found that I needed at least two coats of this mascara for it to look like I had anything on my lashes. 

The outcome is natural but voluminous looking lashes. My lashes are separated and not clumpy with product. It also didn't sting my eyes, which is good. 

I wore it to work and found that it didn't smudge throughout the day. It's also easy to remove. 

And oh, did I mention that it is a super affordable mascara? 

 It's perfect for work.

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Catrice | Better than False Lashes
12 ml

Made in Italy

Normal Retail Price: 24.90 (I got mine for RM17.45, 30% Off)
Available  at selected Guardian outlets

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Soap & Glory | The Righteous Butter Review

The first time I smelt the scent of Soap & Glory's The Righteous Butter, I loved it. The second time around (and this was on the same day, mind you) that I smelt it, I thought that the smell was too strong (which explains why I never got around to buying it; the price is also pretty steep where I live for a body butter).

Then, I went to London and saw the Christmas gift limited edition of The Righteous Butter on sale after Christmas. The tub of The Righteous Butter is in a pretty pink tin drum designed to be hung on a Christmas tree. In fact, it was going at half price and I have to admit that I was pretty difficult for me to pass up the opportunity of trying it out but guess what --- I walked away from it since I thought that the scent is a tad too strong for my liking. At that time, there were many drums of The Righteous Butter on the shelve at the Soap & Glory section of half off products.

But at home, I found myself thinking about it and visiting the Boots website to look at it. I went back to Boots two days later and guess what? The shelve was empty!!! I searched Boots high and low and after some time of persistent searching, finally found one abandoned drum sitting on another shelf in the store, clearly having been discarded by another shopper. I quickly grabbed it, feeling lucky to find it.

The strong smell of The Righteous Butter doesn't last long, so that's okay with me. The texture is thick and feels wonderful when applied onto my skin right after a warm shower especially in winter when it is dry. Would I buy it again? I've yet to decide on that one as I find the scent a tad too strong for my liking.

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Soap & Glory |The Righteous Butter
200 ml

Made in the UK

£5.00 (Normal Retail Price), I got mine for £2.50 (Half Price After Xmas Sale at Boots, London)

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Rimmel London | Kate Matte Lipstick Review

I purchased this lippie while I was in London. It was part of my three for two purchase of Rimmel London products from Boots. I picked colour 170, a berry red shade, a colour that I don't already have and besides, it seems fitting to be seen in a berry red lipstick when I'm dressed in black on most days against the grey London sky.

Rimmel London is no longer a brand that is available in Malaysia. They used to be sold here a number of years ago but that is sadly no longer the case.

This is a matte lipstick that isn't as drying as I was expecting it to be which is a surprise to me. It lasts well throughout the day and is something that I really like about it since I'm really rubbish when it comes to touching up my face.

I simply love the berry red colour. I think of it as a so London color, don't ask me why, but that is what I think of it. This is my current favourite lipstick colour which I've been wearing almost every day ever since I got it. So yeah, this is another purchase that I'm pleased with.

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Rimmel London | Kate Matte Lipstick in 107
4g

Made in England

Normal Retail Price: £5.50 (I got mine as part of the three for two offer at Boots)
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Essence Cookies & Cream Blush Cake Pop That's Top Review

I picked up the Essence Cookies & Cream blush at the same time that I purchased the Essence Cookies & Cream Hand Balm (you can read the review here).

There is only one blusher in this limited edition line and the shade is named Cake Pop That's Top.

I didn't need another blusher but the color was just hard for me to walk away from. I not only love the color but also the texture --- it's buttery soft and I just need to touch my brush a tad bit to get a lot of color payoff.

This is a shimmery sort of blusher but the shimmer particles are very fine and not noticeable. It just gives my cheeks a nice glow of color. 

I love this blusher and I'm glad that I purchased it :) 

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Essence Cookies & Cream Blush in Cake Pop That's Top

Normal Retail Price: RM15.85 (I got mine for RM11.10 @ 30% Off)

Made in Poland

Available in selected Watson's

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Essence Cookies & Cream Hand Balm Review

I saw the Essence Cookies & Cream Hand Balm while I was browsing the Essence stand last Thursday. This is part of the Cookies and Cream line which is limited edition. It was the only one on the shelf. It only took me one sniff of the product to know that I just had to have it. It smells sooo yummy!

The packaging is cute and the texture of the hand balm is very light and non-greasy after it sinks into your skin after about a minute after application. I definitely love this product for its scent hands down! :)

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Essence Cookies & Cream Hand Balm | 100 ml
Normal Retail Price: RM10.90 (I got mine at RM7.65 @ 30% off)
Made in Poland
Available at selected Watson's
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Soap & Glory Peaches and Clean 4 in 1 Wash Off Deep Cleansing Milk Review

I've been using this product for the past few months. To be quite honest, this is one product that I really didn't need but I bought it to pamper myself and besides,  I just love the smell of peaches. 

When I first got it, I tried just using this product and then rinsing it off with water. However, I felt like it didn't quite feel clean. I now use it after I remove my makeup with baby wipes. One pump is enough to remove the makeup residue off my face.

Would I repurchase it? Well, this was a treat purchase but for the price that I paid for it, I can probably get a comparable product for the fraction of the price.

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Soap & Glory Peaches and Clean 4 in 1 Wash Off Deep Cleansing Milk | 350 ml
RM90.00 
Made in the UK
Available in Sephora
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Tesco Loves Baby 30 Moisturising Baby Wipes

I'm not a brand snob and am always game to giving house brands a try. Hey, if I can save some bucks for similar quality products at lower prices, why not?

This is my budget friendly solution to makeup removal wipes. It's gentle and it doesn't irritate my skin. On top of that, it is not super wet like some other baby wipes and it smells refreshing (and no, it doesn't smell like baby). It removes my makeup well and is also super affordable. Love!

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Tesco Loves Baby 30 Moisturising Baby Wipes
RM3.49 (I purchased it when Tesco had a promotion going on for two at RM3.49)
Made in Korea
Available in Tesco
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Essence Long Lasting Eye Pencil in Berry Merry Review

Okay, I've used the Essence Long Lasting Eye Pencil in 18 Merry Berry for a week now and I'm ready to do a review on it.

I purchased this eye liner after reading numerous positive reviews about it online. Unfortunately, my experience with this product isn't as positive :(

This is an automatic eye liner which doesn't come with much product to begin with. Although this is a soft eye liner, I have to apply quite a bit of this product before it shows on my skin. So far, it looks like I've used quite a bit of the product and it's only been a week! I'm not expecting this eye pencil to last very long, by the looks of it.

Considering how much product needs to be applied per wear, it's really not a cheap product for the price paid.

The colour, a beautiful satiny plum color when first applied, doesn't seem to look the same by the end of the work day. It fades and loses its intensity :( It loses its satiny plum color and looks more brown at the end of the day --- go figure! I find this a let down.

The Good

• It's soft
• The color looks beautiful when first applied
• It's an automatic eye liner and is convenient as no sharpening is required
• The packaging color is reflective of the color of the pencil inside which makes it easy to identify the color that I want quickly among my other eye pencils

The Bad

• Not much product to begin with
• The color fades throughout the day
• I need to apply a lot of product before it shows on my skin
• Looks like it won't last me a long time
• The price is not as cheap as it may appear to be in the beginning when you factor in the price per wear

It is unlikely that I'll repurchase this product.

Update August 29, 2015
I've finished using this product. It only lasted me for seven weeks. A little bit of this eyeliner broke on me when I was applying it one morning. 

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Essence Long Lasting Eye Pencil in 18 Berry Merry
RM12.60 (Available at selected Watson's outlets)
0.28g / 0.01oz
Made in Germany
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Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser Review

This is the cleanser that I've been using for almost the past four months or so.

It's a really mild cleanser which takes some getting used to in the beginning as, unlike many other skin cleansers out there, its consistency is pretty runny. It also doesn't leave my skin feeling dry. I haven't experienced any skin issues after beginning using this product. Thumbs up!

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Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser

RM 28.45 (I purchased mine during Guardian Pharmacy's sale)
250 ml
Made in Canada
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