ADDICTION by ayako

Ever since I found out about Addiction, I've been wanting to try its stuff SO BAD but I was still umm-ing and ahh-ing for a really long time because I'm an incredibly non-compulsive person who likes to mull over things.

In case you don't know about Addiction, it is the new (since July 2009) make-up like by the giant Japanese cosmetics manufacturer, Kose. The creative director is Ayako, who worked at NARS as their international make-up director. I don't know about you, but I can definitely see the NARS influence in Addiction products - especially the packaging!
Product pictures are from the website which is here.

The above items are what I ordered - I'm especially looking forward to the powder foundation and the cheek stick. Both products were voted the best cosmetics in their respective categories for Spring/Summer 2011 by a Japanese magazine, VoCe.

The Glow Powder Foundation received rave reviews about how it's so very natural and it does live up to its name by giving your face a natural glow. The accompanying brush was also really popular. I haven't used powder foundation in ages, and it was always with a sponge, so I'm really looking forward to trying it out! Unfortunately, I couldn't find many swatches of this at all, so I just had to make a guess at my colour and hope for the best. I ordered 04 Crepe. Fingers crossed it's a good match!

The cheek stick is a cream blush in the shape of a lipstick. But you can also use the colour on your lips and eyes. People are loving this because of how easy it is to blend and it looks like one's own natural flush. Well, they were talking about Rose Bar when I ordered African Sunset, so I'm not entirely sure how applicable the latter statement is going to be. But that's part of the fun of ordering stuff online isn't it?

Swatches and reviews will soon follow once my package arrives, which will probably be ages. Can't wait! I'm obsessed already!

Dior Lip Maximizer

I think everyone has something that they'd like to change or fix about themselves. For me, it'll have to be my (annoyingly) permanent dark circles, and my thin, boring lips. Today, I'm talking about something I've been using for about 4 months now that is supposed to help me fix the latter. It's Dior's Lip Maximizer. I've never used a lip plumper before, and on researching which lip plumper I wanted to try, I decided on Dior because... I fall for pretty packaging every time!
I think you can say that the Lip Maximizer is like a 2-in-1 product. You can use it like a lip treatment since it's got ingredients to nourish your lips, and it's also a clear lip gloss which you can use over your lip colour. According to Dior, apart from moisturizing your lips, it helps to instantly plump them, and after regular use, it will give you a more permanent plumping effect.

In the tube, the product looks pastel pink, but it's nowhere near that colour when you apply it on your lips. It's a very subtle pink, but you might as well think of it as clear since you'll hardly see it. I tried swatching it on my hand, but it just looks clear.
If you look closely under direct sunlight, the Lip Maximizer also has some shimmer to it too, which I think adds to the lovely gloss effect it gives my lips. It's also very minty and it feels really cool against the lips. The product goes on very smoothly, and it isn't extremely sticky like some glosses can be. The first few times I've ever used the Lip Maximizer, I felt a slight tingly feeling, but since then, my lips never felt tingly anymore. The wear is so-so though - on me I would say it lasts for about 2 hours before I need to re-apply.

I actually really like this because I think it gives my lips a beautiful gloss, without looking really oily or like it's about to drip off. Wearing it alone, I think it gives me the 'my lips but better' look, which I think is perfect for the office. I can also pair it with pretty much any of my lip colours too.
But, does it plump? The answer is... hmm, maybe. I think so... actually, no it doesn't really seem to have done anything. But wait - I'm quite sure my lips were thinner before, weren't they? Hang on, they do sort of look plumper maybe...
In short, I don't know! After 4 months of use, I can't actually say that I've noticed any significant difference to my lips. I think maybe the plumping effect for is smoothing out some of my lip lines, but not actually adding any more volume to my lips. But I think it is an georgeous-looking gloss, and I would buy it again even if it's just for the gloss alone. ❤

Do you use a lip plumper? Have you tried Dior's Lip Maximizer?

MAC Powerpoint Eye Pencil

I thought I'll start out reviewing a product that I've used for a long time. It's MAC's Powerpoint Eye Pencil in Engraved and it's been a staple item in my make-up bag for ages. It's a really creamy pencil, so I find it's quick and easy to line my waterline with.
As I mentioned, it's a very creamy pencil, so the colour goes on smoothly without tugging. But it's not too soft that you can't sharpen it to however fine you want it to go. Just don't do what I did with my first pencil - carelessly putting the wrong cap on it, and smooshing a good amount of pencil into the cap, thus ruining two products in one go!
The Powerpoint pencil comes in 14 colours. The one I have here is Engraved, which is a true black. People sometimes have trouble finding a really black eyeliner, so if you're one of them, I suggest you check out Engraved. Below is a swatch on my hand:
MAC claims that the Powerpoint is waterproof and doesn't transfer or smudge. I've put it to the test on the back of my hand on two fronts - how it stands against water, and oil.
The Powerpoint managed to stay on pretty well after contact with water. I gently rubbed at the colour afterwards, and didn't find it smudging much, although the black wasn't as intense as before. The oil I used was sebum found near my hairline (okay... writing that sounded more gross than doing it), and you can see from the photo that the Powerpoint didn't hold up well - there's clearly smudging. So if your eyes tend to be oily, you might wanna give this a miss.

Despite saying at the beginning that the Powerpoint has been my staple for a long time now, my experience with it has been rather volatile. Some days I find it smudges alot, so I'm constantly wiping my eyes, and other days I find it has hardly budged at all. And there is always transfer of product to my lower waterline when I wear this (which isn't a totally bad thing) One other thing, this product is really hard to get off at the end of the day! I use an all-purpose make-up remover that cleans everything well, except this. There is always residue that I have to go back and clean up.

I'd say the MAC Powerpoint is a decent product - it's a very black pencil eyeliner, and its creamy formula means it's heaps easy to work with. Even though it's not as smudge/budge-proof as MAC claims it to be, I find that it survives the day fairly well. But I am paranoid that it's smudged beyond my lower lash line, so I'm constantly wiping and checking in the mirror. It's probably time for me to look for a new staple eyeliner. ❤

Do you use pencil eyeliner? What do you look for when shopping for a new eyeliner?

sugar blush

The inaugural post! I've been inspired to start my own beauty blog after reading all the brilliant blogs out there. I love shopping, I love beauty products, and I love discovering and trying out new stuff. So I started this blog to share my experiences with all the things I burn my money on, as well as meet and learn from other people with the same passion as me.

Anyway, please check out my blog and feel free to drop me a line anytime! ❤