Heat Jewel Hybrid Eyeliner in Cocoa Review

I picked up a liquid brown eyeliner in Hong Kong because I wanted to see if brown would look good on me, but didn't want to spend too much money in case I didn't like it. This seemed like the perfect choice as it was the cheapest one and looked super cute XD 

I can't read Japanese (but have included back and front views of the packaging in case anyone can read Japanese and would like to read it) but from the Sasa site it seems the eyeliner is highly water resistant, and contains hyaluronic acid, panthenol silk, aloe and honey extracts to hydrate the skin on your eyes and condition lashes. It also has a 0.1mm fine tip brush and the pen design allows you to use every last drop of eyeliner. The eyeliner is also easily removed with warm water. 

Handbags and jewels? How pretty! ^^

Anyone for a translation?

The pen itself is a chocolate brown colour with pretty gold accents. I really like the designs on the pen as I find it princessy and cute ^^

I've been using this eyeliner for a few months no and have found the pigmentation to still be the same as when it was new. I'm not sure how they measure the 0.1mm tip but as you can see, the brush really is quite fine. 

 The eyeliner pigment is also quite buildable. The stroke on the right side is just to show the pen can draw very narrow eyelines and the following three to show pigmentation. The second line consists of one stroke of liner, the third line has two strokes and the fourth line has three strokes. The colours looks the same but if you look carefully they do gradually get darker as you go to the right.

I then performed a rub test with my finger to show this eyeliner is quite amazing at staying put. Here I rubbed really hard once.

 Here I rubbed it a second time.

 And finally the liner had come off by the third rub.

I know you're probably thinking 'Only three rubs and it's all gone?!'.

I rubbed really hard on the liner! Something you would (hopefully) never do to the skin on your eye!

Whenever I use this to draw my eyelines, it looks almost the same by the end of the day as it did in the morning. There is sometimes a little fading at the outer corner of my eye and the liner at the inner corner has pretty much gone (my eyes water quite often but I can't tell anyway due to the way my eyelids are), but other than that my liner looks pretty much perfect.

Another thing I love about this pen is that if I make a mistake, I can use a damp cotton bud to easily correct the mistake. This makes me question why they say the eyeliner is water resistant though, but then again lots of Japanese cosmetics have the same claim of being water resistant but easily removed with warm water.

As I don't use this everyday, I can't say it makes an amazing difference to the quality of my lashes or the skin where I apply this eyeliner, but I think it's worth mentioning that this pen hasn't irritated my eyes, even when I'm wearing contact lenses.

I really love this liner pen because it's simple to use, allows me to easily create winged eyelines, stays put for most of the day and doesn't rub off or smudge when my eyelids get a little oily during the day. 

Although it isn't truly water proof, this slimline pen is easy enough to carry with you for touch ups.

I bought this for $79 HKD at Sasa, a brilliant deal if you ask me ^^

Jia

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Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence Water Base Review

I'm one of those people who wears sunscreen everyday, even if I'm just sitting at home. Nothing worse than premature aging and dark sunspots! I first heard about this sunscreen when a popular Youtube vlogger mentioned it and I decided to order it and try it out. My previous sunscreen was the Hada Labo UV Moist Emulsion (link here if you want to read it). It did a pretty good job but sometimes I did get a little annoyed with the layer of light oil left on my skin when first applied, hence I wanted to try this sunscreen that apparently left no sticky residue on skin at all.

I have to say, I'm very glad I purchased this! I absolutely love it! The sunscreen comes in the packaging below. It's a squeezy tube and you dispense the sunscreen via a nozzle. Very hygienic! The nozzle can get a little messy though so it may be wise to wipe it off every now and again. 

The sunscreen is pale cream in colour with a gel like consistency. It feels cool on the skin when first applied and blends in very easily.

As you can see, the sunscreen contains some 'gritty' bits. These don't actually feel gritty at all, it just blends right into your skin!

All that is left behind is velvety smooth skin,no trace of any stickiness or greasiness!

One of the reasons why I love this sunscreen, apart from how it leaves my skin smooth and non-sticky, is that it protects my skin from both UVA and UVB rays so I'm covered on the aging and sunburn part :D It also leaves no white cast on my skin at all which is always a thumbs up, nor has it caused any bad reactions on my skin, no breakouts or unsightly rashes ^^

I bought this from a Hong Kong based seller and all the writing on the packaging was in Japanese :( I did some searching around the internet though and found that the sunscreen also has whitening properties due to natural chamomile extracts and keeps skin soft and hydrated with hyaluronic acid and an essence mix consisting of lemon, orange and grapefruit. I used this sunscreen in Hong Kong and noticed I didn't actually get a tan, so I guess the sun protection and the whitening benefits work together to prevent my skin from tanning. As for hydrating my skin, I find that this alone is not enough for my dry cheeks but it may be suitable as a sole moisturiser for oilier skin types.

The sunscreen smells light and citrusy but I can detect hints of alcohol in the mix too. I found that alcohol is actually third on the list of ingredients (so high! o.O) which explains the smell and also explains why the sunscreen is able to leave a velvety feeling on the skin so quickly. I'm wondering if the alcohol actually counteracts the benefits of the hyaluronic acid? Either way, as alcohol is very drying, I always layer a good moisturiser under the sunscreen. 

This is a chemical sunscreen, with ethylhexyl methoxicinnamate as the active ingredient, but chemical sunscreens have been known to not fully protect skin from all UVA rays, so if you're out in strong sunshine you may want to consider a physical sunscreen for the day. Fun fact! The active ingredient also helps protect the product it has been added to from UV ray induced degradation! ^^

Overall, despite the high alcohol content, I still love this sunscreen for its high level of protection, how it leaves my skin feeling fresh, non-sticky and velvety and leaves no white cast. If they could lower the alcohol content though that would just be perfect :D Between this sunscreen and the Hada Labo one, I would prefer the former. One of my pet peeves is an oily layer that takes a while to absorb, especially if I have to wear my fringe out. 

This sunscreen is very affordable (around $79 HKD) and would definitely recommend it to everyone!

Jia

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GOSH Natural Touch Foundation Review in 34 Vanilla

Just like many other girls, I'm always on the search for the best foundation. To be honest I don't actually have a full checklist to mark the best foundation, as long as doesn't feel heavy and tacky on my skin and makes my skin look more even and luminous, then I'll like it. I've never bought a high end foundation as I get bored very quickly, so I can't justify spending over £20 on a bottle of foundation. 

Today's review is on GOSH's Natural Touch foundation, and I'm happy to say I like it! This foundation actually belongs to my sister but I found it the other day unused so I decided to give it a whirl.

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GOSH claims their foundation has a light, soft and effective texture, contains mineral pigments to unify skin tone and leaves your skin looking natural and perfect. It looks invisible on skin but still manages to give you a natural and flawless finish by diminishing facial imperfections. It contains organic sweet almond oil to moisturise and nourish skin while vitamins A and E help prevent damage from free radicals. The foundation also contains an SPF of 8.

I actually think this foundation lives up to its claims, I'm not entirely sure how the texture is 'effective' but I do like the creamy smoothness of the foundation and how easily it blends into my skin. Although the foundation appears a tad thicker than most liquid foundations, it still feels fresh and light on the skin. I applied the foundation using my flat top foundation brush by aDesign and it applied beautifully.

Creamy smooth!

Sorry for the pictures not being upright, stupid blogger wouldn't upload the rotated pictures for some reason TT

My left cheek! My skin is rather blotchy (I think its from sitting next to the fire too often) and has some light scarring from past blemishes. I still get the occasional blemish even in my 20s (there's a spot next to the mole on the right.)

My right cheek isn't any better XD I also have a number of freckles on top of my cheekbones on both sides.

My skin didn't feel heavy or greasy when I wore this throughout the day, and this was without setting it with powder. My skin normally feels a little oily by the end of the day but my skin looked and felt no different at the end of the day when wearing this foundation. My skin also felt soft to the touch and there was no tacky feeling from the time of application to removal. Also some foundations leave my dehydrated, combination skin feeling a little dry and tight and sometimes even itchy, but this one didn't cause any problems. One gripe is that it does smell a little weird, but at least I can't smell it once applied. 

The coverage with one layer was medium and even when I applied a little more to my under eye circles, it didn't look cakey or patchy, nor sunk into fine lines. I then applied a second layer for a little more coverage after letting the first layer set for a couple of minutes. The foundation still applied smoothly and the first layer was not disturbed. I mention this as some foundations, once set, are difficult to layer upon.

Left cheek again

After applying the foundation, my skin was significantly more even in colour and the blotchiness was hidden very well! The blemish next to the mole is still visible but no longer looks as red. It covered my freckles lightly and made them less obvious but they were still visible. When I first applied the foundation, I thought it looked a little mask-like but the texture melted quickly into my skin and looked like real skin. However I did find it clung to a dry patch between my eyebrows but a little rubbing with my finger and leaving it for a while seemed to solve the problem.

Right cheek again

I have this foundation in Vanilla, a yellow based shade suitable for fairer skin tones with yellow undertones. I believe this is the second lightest shade (I think Pearl is the lightest) but I find it a tad too yellow for my skin tone and is very slightly darker than my natural skin colour. I am thinking about purchasing this in Pearl as I really like this foundation. As for the SPF value, I never actually pay any attention to SPF in any foundations as I generally never wear a full face of foundation, but it's nice to know some protection is offered.

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So to summarise,

PROS

Lightweight, blendable foundation

Medium but buildable coverage

Doesn't irritate skin

Doesn't leave skin oily and tacky

CONS

Has an odd smell

Can cling to dry, flaky patches of skin

I would definitely repurchase this foundation as its one of the better ones I have used. Looking natural while still covering imperfections? Yes, please! 

Just a note, I have primarily dry skin with an oily-ish T-zone and my skin loves the moisture this foundation supplies, hence I'm not sure if this is the best foundation for oilier skins.

Thanks for reading!

Jia

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