Essence Mattifying Compact Powder | Review

Soo I thought I would review a few Essence products since it's one of the okay-ish brands easily available in Sri Lanka ( Srina Palace,Odel etc). This would be the first :D 

So I've been trying this out for a couple of weeks and I LOVE it! It's one of those powders that actually mattifies your skin - it really does work! The best part is, it gives the most natural 'blurred' effect, and doesn't make your face look dry,cakey and wrinkly. 

 It is priced very reasonably just like all the other essence products and was around LKR 750($6.5) if I remember right.  I believe there's around 6 shades but only 3-4 shades were available. I bought this in 02- Soft Beige. The issue with most essence products is that they don't cater to all skin tones, mostly just the light to medium tones and pretty much nothing for those with yellow undertones or medium to dark skin. But then again, they are a German brand.  Soft beige did seem quite light at first and very pink undertoned but I found it to blend in PERFECTLY to match the skin tone. However you should always swatch it on your face/neck.


The texture is quite sheer, very soft and creamy, not powdery at all. It blends in very smoothly and gives the most amazing velvety finish. And did I mention how natural this looks?

Untouched. In Normal lighting. 

Untouched. With flash.

As for lasting power, this actually lasts quite long. If you go out during the day time, this will last you a good 2-5 hours. If you're staying indoors it'll probably last upto 7 hours or so. If you do have to re apply throughout the day, you can easily do so without it looking cakey and nasty.

Although a matte powder is generally suitable for those with Oily or Combination skin, in my opinion this is perfect for all skin types as it does not dry out your skin at all.

All in all, I love this product and would definitely be grabbing some more :D


( I wore this on top of Revlon Colorstay 24Hr Foundation)


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Pond's BB+ Review

Always on the hunt for the perfect BB Cream, when a local(ish) brand launched their very own BB cream I knew I had to try it out! Thank god I didn't expect to fall in love with this, because it was nothing but yet another disappointment just like most other BB creams out there.

Let me start with the Pros. First of all I thought this was reasonably priced at around LKR 450 ($2.5) for 18g. The packaging is really cute but then again it doesn't really matter at all. It has a really nice 'Ponds' scent which I absolutely love. It's not too strong nor is it too subtle. Also I love the creamy consistency of it which makes application so much easier and leaves you with a somewhat dewy look. Coverage is little to medium which is exactly what you would expect from a BB cream. It also claims to have SPF 30. And that's about it. Everything else is just disappointing.


It comes in one shade which looks quite medium with a very yellow undertone. However when you blend the product in, there's no medium shade or a yellow undertone. It turns WHITE. Yes, white!! After about 30 mins or so, it will oxidize into a very unpleasant ashy tone. After about 1 hour, you wouldn't even know that you applied any product - because it will just disappear. The lasting power is very very low.

 It will only make things worse if you have oily or combo skin. At first it looks nice and smooth and dewy but after a few minutes, especially if you decide to go outdoors it will just melt.  Being a local brand you would expect them to take these, especially the humid weather into consideration, perhaps maybe a different range for those with combo skin..?

In summary, I would not be using this product again. It's not going to be pleasant unless you are very fair with dry skin. If you have oily/combo skin, avoid this by all means - unless maybe you're going to be in an a/c room all day :D


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BEST Body Scrub EVER! - DIY

This body scrub is a super easy DIY and the results are absolutely amazing. The best part is, it's made with readily available ingredients in anyone's kitchen. This is probably my favorite body scrub and it leaves your skin ultra smooth and silky.
I use this 2-3 times a week.

INGREDIENTS 

• 3/4 cup of sugar 
• 1/4 cup of Cinnamon Powder 
• 1/4 cup of Coffee Powder 
• 2-3 tablespoons of Coconut or Olive oil 
• Few drops of essential oil (optional)

Mix up all those ingredients to form a thick paste. Apply it all over the body, scrub gently and leave for 15mins and wash it off thoroughly and voila! You will have nice silky skin.

Best Foundations for Hot Humid Weather

Finding the perfect foundation that lasts in hot humid weather is a STRUGGLE! These are my FAVORITE foundations of all time!

1. Estee Lauder Double Wear 

This is one of the more expensive high end foundations but it is totally worth it and it's probably my all time favorite. It is amazing. I would say it's medium to high coverage. Works great on oily/combo skin and it sets in a subtle velvet/satin finish with some dewiness, which I love.

 Also it is super long lasting and doesn't budge or oxidize in a weird color - which a lot of foundations tend to do. However, this is not going to be your everyday foundation. It's definitely something you would reach for, for a special occasion. Best part is unlike most foundations, this has a ton of shades to choose from especially if                                                           you have yellow undertones.
                                                      One word - LOVE.


2. Revlon Colorstay 24Hr Foundation 

This is probably  the best drugstore foundation I've ever used which is perfect for oily skin in humid weather. It's long lasting and doesn't budge. It comes in two types - Normal/Dry and Oily/Combo. It is medium in coverage and definitely buildable. I have combination skin and surprisingly this set a bit too dry for my liking. (maybe should've gone for the normal skin range). This too has quite a bit of shades and a good amount of shades for those with yellow undertones.
This is one of my favorite everyday foundations especially if you're going to be out all day. It's very similar to Mac in my opinion, as far as coverage and lasting power is concerned but this is definitely the winner considering the price.


3. Maybelline Fit Me

This I would say is my everyday go to foundation. Although I don't believe it's designed for oily/combo skin, I love how it sets in a dewy manner. It's medium and buildable in coverage. It's probably one of the best drugstore foundations for those with dry or normal skin. Because I have combo skin, I don't find this very long lasting especially if I'm going to be out all day. However compared to the Revlon, I love how it sets in a dewy way which is what I like in an everyday foundation. If you have oily/combo skin this foundation is best if you're going out for dinner,lunch etc.. for a few hours.
Another good thing is it doesn't oxidize and make you look white or ashy. Like the previous foundations this too has a good amount of shades for those with red and yellow undertones.
The only issue is that it doesn't stay too well that long, and does tend to make you oily after a few hours. I'm dying to try the Fit Me Matte + Poreless - which would probably be a better option for me.

What's available in Sri Lanka....

There really isnt' a variety of good foundations in Sri Lanka. But if I have to pick a few it would be the following. 

• Revlon 16hr Foundation (available in Beautydrome ,Cool planet and most other places with the Revlon counter). This too is a good everyday foundation for those with any skin type. A little pricier compared to the other products available in the sri lanka, but definitely one of the better ones.
• Essence Soft Touch Mousse Make up - Very affordable (priced at LKR 925 I believe). It sets in a very nice and satin finish but it really does not last very long. It's probably best for those with dry/normal skin. 
• Kryolan - This is a professional brand. Personally I don't own any but this is what most make up artists  in Sri lanka use, especially for brides. It's one of the better brands available to suit Sri lanka skin and that is very long lasting. 

Mini Essence Make up Haul

Hi guys :)

In my first post I would like to share my Mini Essence Make up Haul. This is a super affordable brand - one of the very few 'brands' available in Sri Lanka, apart from the usual Jordana, Revlon etc.
Prior to this purchase, I have tried the Essence Stay Matt Foundation and to be honest, I did not like it.  However, I decided to give it another go and purchase a bunch of products.
Apart from this I went and purchased a nail polish and the Lash Princess Volume Mascara as well.

Both of which I ABSOLUTELY loved!

As for pricing - I think it's fairly priced for the most part. However the quality of the products available in Sri Lanka is not so good. The mascara was pretty much dried and the eyeliner was not usable. It was horrible and completely dried out and none of the staff at Odel ( where I purchased this from) had a clue until this was brought to notice. Even the tester eyeliner was a dried out one which you literally have to poke your nails in, in order to use it. So basically I just had to return the eyeliner which was a big disappointment since i've heard SO many good reviews about it.

Moving on to the Mousse Foundation - I picked it up in the Shade 03 Matt Honey. It was priced at LKR 925. Review done later!!!

The Stay Natural Concealer is a great product as well! I love the consistency of it. It is quite thick and it blends in so well. However the downside of this product is that there's SO little product. I was only able to use this for about 2 weeks until it all finished. Would I purchase this again? No. Not worth it.

The Brow Designer pencil in 02 Brown was also another disappointment. I did not like the texture of it however I did love the color. It was a perfect match for my brows. Although I didn't particularly like this product, I was able to work with it.

Long Lasting Lipstick in 04 On the Catwalk. I was on the hunt for a nice fall shade and picked this up. For some reason I was expecting a somewhat matte lipstick but this is super creamy - which I hate. However the color is quite nice. And a creamy lipstick is a quick fix! Just dab on some powder and it's matte.

I really loved the 2 mascaras I picked up. They were both priced at around LKR 750-790.00 and it does give you quite a bit of volume. Totally worth it.

The one thing which I ABSOLUTELY love is the Mattifying Compact Powder. I picked it up in the shade 02 Soft Beige and it works wonders! It totally mattifies your skin and gives you this beautiful flawless look. TOTALLY recommending it to anyone! Especially those with oily skin. Worth it for sure and I will definitely be buying more!

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