Makeup Review: Chanel CC Cream

Though a hard-core fan of Chanel beauty products, this CC cream a real disappointment. The texture is way too thick for a CC cream, more like a foundation in fact. And with this, I'm definitely not referring to the sheer ones like NARS Sheer Glow Foundation, but the more traditional kind of liquid foundation. Ever since I've started using those feather-weight Korean BB creams, what I wear on my face is becoming sheerer and sheerer and I can no longer tolerate any detectable loads on my skin...My experience with Chanel CC cream is rather yucky - I'm sorry! I could feel the thick creamy layer on my face all day. Think partly because of the humidity here and partly because of the texture, my face felt like a disgusting sticky pad and the makeup started caking after two hours. Thank God the color didn't change...In fact, I've tried the BB creams by Lancome, Dior, Bobbi Brown and NARS, but none of them performed as well as those by Korean brands,  which are way cheaper! The European and US ones are either not sheer enough, not lasting, or both. Is there some sort of secret Korean recipes???   

That said, I'm so glad that I didn't purchase this CC cream in full size. After all, what matters when it comes to beauty products is not the brand, but how a product reacts on your skin.

Makeup Review: Make Up For Ever Lift Concealer

As mentioned in the previous review of my latest fave, Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Powder (See review HERE), I've recently abandoned Dior Dioskin Sculpt Concealer as it somehow begins to dry out, cake up and settle into the creases undereyes, and above all, it can't conceal my seasoned dark circles anymore!!! After some testings, the replacements are Bobbi Brown Tinted Eye Brightener in Peach (#8) and Make Up For Ever Lift Concealer (#3). 

I first apply Bobbi Brown Tinted Eye Brightener as a corrector on the lower edges of my dark circles with a concealer brush. Instead of blending in with the same brush, the Make Up For Ever SA taught me a trick - blend in with another concealer brush - cuz the Brush No. 1 will re-pick up some concealer from the undereyes as you attempt to blend the concealer in, and as a result, you can never blend it in nicely! This trick really works wonder for me. The effect is so sheer, yet effective and natural-looking! Using the same trick, I then applied the Lift Concealer to the edges of my dark circles and blend upward. The whole process only need a teeny bit of both products to effectively erase my dark circles. Other than its sheer and natural finish, what I like most is that the effect is moist enough to last the whole long day. And with a final touch using the HD Powder, it doesn't sit into my dry fine lines undereyes at all. I have to stress that the finish is really natural-looking. The combo perks up my undereyes with just the right amount of spotlight, as if I hardly have any dark circles, ha! 

The Lift Concealer is the most moisturising concealer in the Make Up For Ever collection. In fact, the SA initially recommended the HD concealer, but it's too dry for my prematurely ageing undereyes =(. While the Lift Concealer doesn't belong to the HD series, it feels and looks HD. You can't imagine how little I really need for my dark circles. The formula is highly pigmented and it's amazingly spreadable and buildable...almost like the kind of surprise one may get from molecular gastronomy! Though the texture is way thinner than that of Dior Sculpt, I probably needed at least double the amount to conceal my dark circles with Dior Sculpt...double the amount, but half the quality! 

On a last note, if you are thinking of using the Lift Concealer alone and your complexion is not really that fair (like the Caucasian, Korean, and Japanese girls) or has a yellow undertone, you may like to try #2 instead of #3 (a lighter tone). #3 works well on me because I'm applying the Bobbi Brown Tinted Eye Brightener in Peach (#8 - a darker peach tone) underneath the Lift Concealer to moderate the color. Also, #3 looks more and more natural as it oxidizes on your skin, so to speak, make your judgement only after blending it in properly!

Pros

- A little goes a long long way!

- Moisturizing

- Great lasting power

- Doesn't cake up or settle into creases/fine lines

Cons

- The packaging. Nothing's really wrong with the toothpaste packaging, but mine tends to ooze out...at least for the one I purchased. To avoid wastage, I always try to close the cap within 0.09s...!

Verdict

I'm seriously loving it! xx