Let's begin with base makeup.

We're half way into 2016 and @cosme has came up with their best new cosmetics for the first half of this year!

These products are all newly released, or at least, considered to be newer products and hence is different from the annual best cosmetics awards. Only the newer products are taken into consideration for this ranking.

Without further ado, I present to you the winners. (Translated from @cosme website)

OVERALL WINNER

RMK | LIP JELLY GLOSS

"The cool and sophisticated colour draws endless attention, while the shiny formula sculpts your lips and gives it dimension."

BEST MAKEUP BASE

1. MAQUILLAGE | DRAMATIC SKIN SENSOR BASE UV

"Offers moisture and sebum control, skin feels increasingly beautiful throughout the day."

2. DIOR | SNOW BLOOM PERFECT CUSHION

3. COFFRET DOR | AURA KEEP BASE UV

BEST POWDER FOUNDATION

1. COFFRET DOR | BEAUTY AURA PACT UV

"Surprisingly lightweight and glowy! Breathes an aura of life onto skin."

2. IPSA | POWDER FOUNDATION

3. CLINIQUE | EVEN BETTER POWDER MAKEUP WATER VEIL

BEST LIQUID FOUNDATION

1. NARS | VELVET MATTE SKIN TINT

"An excellent tint that can create a perfect three dimensional face."

2. CHANEL | LES BEIGES HEALTHY GLOW FOUNDATION

3. MAYBELLINE NEW YORK | DREAM WHIP SMOOTH LIQUID

BEST CREAM FOUNDATION

1. REVLON | COLORSTAY TWO IN ONE COMPACT MAKEUP + CONCEALER

"Comes with integrated concealer, it has amazing coverage and a silky finish."

BEST CUSHION FOUNDATION

1. LANCOME | BLANC EXPERT CUSHION COMPACT

"Super lightweight for a tight fit on skin, goes on evenly to impart a natural glow."

2. FLOW FUSHI | ION DE CUSHION

3. YSL BEAUTY | ENCRE DE PEAU LE CUSHION

BEST CONCEALER

1. SUHADA KINENBI | FAKE NUDE CONCEALER

"Natural lightweight look, covers the skin while being able to merge with bare skin skillfully."

2. BENEFIQUE | LIQUID CONCEALER (AURA VEIL)

3. CHANEL | LE BLANC STICK CONCEALER

BEST SETTING POWDER

1. CEZANNE | UV CLEAR FACE POWDER

"Like wearing a transparent veil, the powder gives a smooth and delicate finish."

2. JILL STUART | CRYSTAL LUCENT FACE POWDER

3. BENEFIQUE | PRESSED POWDER (LUMINIZING)

BEST CC CREAM

1. SEKKISEI | WHITE CC CREAM

"Protects you against the strong summer UV light! Look minimally made up while enjoying whitening benefits at the same time."

2. ETTUSAIS | PREMIUM CC AMINO CREAM

3. NUDY COUTURE | MINERAL CC CREAM

BEST BB CREAM

1. LA ROCHE POSAY | UVIDEA XL PROTECTION BB

"UV protection on 'roids (SPF50)! Dries down to a smooth finish."

2. MAIKO HAN | BB CREAM

3. ATTENIR | BB CREAM

It was hard to pick just 5.

I'm almost running out of ideas on what I can possibly share at the moment because I haven't been using a lot of skin care lately due to the state of my skin. Also, my belief of skin care and whatever I use on my skin is starting to shift towards the natural side lately, so it's only appropriate to share the affordable and awesome products I found on iHerb with you all.

I have been a loyal iHerb shopper for several years because of their unbeatable low prices and their huge variety of supplements. Their prices are really competitive compared to local Singaporean stores, and shipping to Singapore is usually free (for orders more than USD40), it's really a no brainer for me to shop from iHerb.

On top of supplements and healthy foods, they also carry a huge selection of skin care, as well as bath and beauty products. I like that most of the products products IHerb carries are closer to nature, aka, organic and natural.

Here are 5 tried and tested products that I love.

NOW FOODS | ORGANIC JOJOBA OIL | 118 ML | USD 9.93

There is also a non organic version, but they cost the same and I prefer having a peace of mind that I'm lowering the toxic exposure to pesticides and chemicals. This jojoba oil is absorbed relatively quickly into my skin as it has a similar chemical structure as human sebum. It's very nourishing in my memory, and doesn't turn rancid easily. What matters to me is that it doesn't leave my clothes with an oily stench like some other oils do. I use this as a base for my essential oils.

NOW FOODS | SWEET ALMOND OIL | 473 ML | USD 9.93

As you may have noticed, the price of the 118ml organic jojoba oil is the same as a 473ml sweet almond oil. Since I use these oils for my body, I could use the extra volume and savings! I have tried the apricot kernel oil too, but found that to turn rancid quickly even though it's a pretty lightweight oil. It left my clothes with a stench over time that I'm not fond of. The sweet almond oil on the other hand doesn't have this problem :) Absorbs pretty quickly too, and is light weight in general. I use this all over my skin!

NOW FOODS | ORGANIC LAVENDER ESSENTIAL OIL | 30ML | USD 17.58

There is also a non organic version that cost a fraction of price, but I have this idea that essential oils are the essence of the flower, any herbicide or pesticide used will also be concentrated within the oils extracted. I'm not sure how true this is, but I rather play safe.

I'm also not sure if lavender oil is supposed to smell like this, it's soothing when diluted but it has a funky smell when I take a whiff straight from the bottle. I use this for anti microbial and anti inflammatory properties. Also it just smells nice :)

I also use their organic tea tree oil and peppermint oil, both of which smells legit. The peppermint oil is amazing because it has a cooling sensation on my skin! Perfect for soothing an itch!

LIFE FLO | PURE ROSEHIP SEED OIL | 30ML | USD 5.96

I've mentioned this many times before in my videos! It's a golden oil with a nutty scent, very rich and nourishing. Absorbs within 10-15 minutes. I love using it before I sleep! I just "gently" massage it onto my face and neck and let my skin soak up the goodness (if you saw my GRWM video, you'll know that I'm not really gentle at all hahaha). People tend to use this for aging skin as it's high in retinoic acid? I didn't notice any spot fading or anti aging effects (but I don't have them at the moment so.. :P). Many have commented that it's exactly the same as the Trilogy Rosehip Seed Oil, but at a fraction of its price. This product really won my heart for the unbeatable price and good quality.

AVEENO BABY | ECZEMA THERAPY MOISTURIZING CREAM | 141G | USD 11.50

Other than oils, this cream has been a saviour for my super dry skin. Aveeno products is infused with oatmeal extract, which has a soothing property on itchy and dry skin. This particular one is formulated with ceramide, so it feels extra moisturizing than their daily moisturizer. It decreases the appearance of dry skin pretty well, which is part of the reason why I enjoy using it on extremely dry spots. A little goes a long way as it's very spreadable. I tend to use this on particularly dry spots as a spot treatment.

If you're interested in trying some of the products, AND if you're new to iHerb, using the code SUG844 will give you $5 off your first purchase!!! That means the Life Flo rosehip seed oil is almost free!

So here are my top 5 skin care products I found on iHerb. Let me know if you found something you like! I always love sharing a good deal!

Were the marketing team hungry? Chiffon.. Cake?

Etude House recently released a new line of lipsticks! They are a mix between cream and matte finish. I have no idea what "chiffon" has got anything to do with the finish. In my mind I imagine it to have a bouncy finish (my mind is clearly thinking about the chiffon cake, what a glutton!), which speaks nothing about the finish.

Stripping the marketing thing aside, it's a semi-matte lipstick that promises more moisture than a traditional matte lipstick.

DEAR MY BLOOMING LIPS TALK CHIFFON | USD 12.40

The lipstick has a brand new packaging - eyelet trim decorating one side of the lipstick. With the cap off it looks like a capital letter B. The first time I saw this lipstick I only saw an image of it with its cap off, it made me wonder why a letter B on the packaging :P

Comes in 12 whopping shades, including the rarer brownish and nude shades. Case in point, brown shades are pretty rare in Asian lipsticks.


Click to enlarge!


At a glance.

For actual swatches, check out this korean blog.

EDITOR'S NOTE:
The nude shades (BE109 and BE110) really appeal to me. The almost neon pink PK027, which it's quite common amongst Korean brands still stands out to me. RD315 looks like a beautiful wine red! I might actually hunt these down some time in the future.. :) I don't have a lot of nude lipsticks, YET.

Image credit: Etude House

Official swatches included!

I love the colourful visuals Etude House creates whenever they launch something new!

Following the release of the peachy toned Play Color Eyes Juice Bar, Etude House wants you to have ice cream shades on your eyes this summer with their release of the Play Color Eyes Ice Van.



It's no coincidence that the promo photos are ice cream themed - the pastel shades look just like the delicious ice cream flavours! It's a pity my Korean language isn't efficient enough to translate the names of the different shades, but I'm pretty sure they are dessert themed. Just a guess.

The palette contains 10 shades, some of them are new. It retails for USD26.40 on the Etude House online store.

click to enlarge!

On the left are swatches on the arm, placed next to the respective eye shadow from the palette for easy reference.

click to enlarge!

Swatched on the eyes. Check number for respective shades. I can't translate the names as they are too complicated this time round!

Ending note:
From the swatches it looks like a fun palette to have, but the colour payoff seems mediocre for the more daring shades. With that said, low pigmentation can also be spun as a "natural effect", right? So it really depends on what you're going for.

I'm just happy seeing addition of new colours, such as the hot pink (shade 5) and mint green (shade 8)!

Image credits: Etude House