Review: Kevin Beautymaker Princess Lip Repairing Balm 公主修護唇膜

L-R: Sweet Pink (小粉紅), Strawberry (小草莓)

I got the Kevin Beautymaker Princess Lip Repairing Balm during my trip to Taiwan, in both shades - sweet pink and strawberry. They cost NT300 each for 4g of product, which isn't particularly affordable, but the packaging is really pretty!

L-R: Sweet Pink (小粉紅), Strawberry (小草莓)

I love the jewelled cap. The colours are really pretty, they show up as just the slightest hint of colour. (Very sheer in one layer, but slightly buildable.) I like that the texture of these is a gel-type balm that is very smooth and non-greasy. If I were to compare these to The Body Shop's Born Lippy lip balms... well these definitely win.

TBS's feels heavier (but not more moisturizing) and they don't have as much colour as compared to Beautymaker's. TBS's can also look a little greasy while Beautymaker's feels more like a gel/serum texture which is very light and nice! However, while TBS lip balms smell so delicious and fruity (in an artificial way), these Princess Lip Balms have little fragrance.

L-R: Sweet Pink (小粉紅), Strawberry (小草莓)

Ingredients: Jojoba Oil, Jojoba Ester, Microcrystalline Wax Hydrogenated Polysobutene, Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter Extract, Sunflower Seed Oil, Aloe Andongensis Leaf Oil, Avocado Oil, Isohexadecane / Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopherol Acetate, L-hydroxy Proline, Dextrin Palmitate, Nicatinamide, Propyl Paraben, Titanium Dioxide, Fragrance (Flavor), D&C Red No.6 Barium Lake

I definitely like these lipbalms... they're a bit dear but they're worth it! I would try to get them on sale though.

Rating: 9/10

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Some random photos:





This is a Payeasy Beauty Vending Machine which I found at a HSR train station in Taichung. It sells selected Kevin Beautymaker and Bio Beauty products at cheaper prices than the website. They also sell powder foundations and stuff, but I can't really tell which shade they're offering, so I don't know how that works.

I found these little cloth animal postcards at Sun Moon Lake - they are cute little templates where you can cut out the animals and make them into little toys. Very cute and affordable! I didn't get them because my friends aren't into sewing or zakka, and they don't have time to assemble toys like that. These postcards do make a good gift idea though!

I found these Hello Kitty and ninja face masks at Watson's in Taipei. So weird! Hello Kitty and ninjas?!

I have these really cute Rilakkuma sweets with me in the office now. Every time I see it, I feel like relaxing. One day I'm gonna get a gigantic pink heart pillow just like that and lounge all day!

Till next time~ Peace out!

Review: Kevin Beautymaker Magic Concealer

I picked up 2 tubes of Kevin Beautymaker Magic Concealer in Taiwan recently because it was on sale for NT199. It comes in 2 colours - ivory and natural. It's a click pen type of illuminating concealer, the typical YSL Touche Eclat-wannabe kind. I've tried Revlon Age Defying Spa Concealer and L'oreal Touche Magique, which were both really good, but they were twist-pens and not click-pens.

The brush is ok, not too stiff, but I still prefer using my fingers to blend. As with most twist/click pens, it's a little difficult to control the amount that flows out.

The click-button at the bottom has a lock mechanism, the kind that locks/unlocks when you twist it clockwise/anti-clockwise. Thing is, the button is small and difficult to twist. I don't intend to travel with this, so once I unlocked it, I left it unlocked. It's a useful feature, but it could be improved.

I purchased the Natural shade, which is the darker, more orange shade, which suits my MAC NC30 skintone well. (I have really dark circles though.) I think Ivory is paler and more yellow-based. It's watery, light and very blendable, but has very light coverage. Revlon Age Defying Spa Concealer and L'oreal Touche Magique (both twist-type illuminating concealer pens) have better coverage and better staying power, while illuminating well. So this Magic Concealer pales in comparison. It brightens up my dark circles, but doesn't conceal well enough. I use this on my eyelids as well, but it creases on my double-eyelid fold. Not good!



From left: Kevin Beautymaker Aqua Eye Concealer in Natural, Kevin Beautymaker Magic Concealer in Natural

I much prefer the Kevin Beautymaker Aqua Eye Concealer. I use it in the Natural shade as well, but it's less orange than the same shade of Magic Concealer, and has better coverage and staying power. So I'm really not too impressed with Magic Concealer. The regular price is NT300 for 3g, which is not worth the quality, I feel. However, it works ok for illuminating my undereyes (just not my eyelids), so it gets a 6/10.

Rating: 6/10

Review: Kevin Beautymaker Aqua Smooth Lip Color - Princess, Peach, Sweet Pink

Hello hello I'm back from Taiwan! I took a 10-day trip there with family. It was fun. :) I went to Taipei and Sun Moon Lake (Taichung). Anyway, I took the opportunity to haul items from Payeasy and I'll be doing a mini-review of the Kevin Beautymaker Aqua Smooth Lip Color in 3 colors. They were having a summer sale - they cost only NT199 each!

From left: Princess (千金裸唇), Peach (晶亮珊瑚), Sweet Pink (甜蜜粉紅)

With flash

Princess (千金裸唇) is a lovely warm nude that doesn't make me look like a corpse. In Chinese, it translates into something like 'rich girl nude lips'. So I guess it's a really nice, classy looking nude that all the rich girls wear. I like it the best out of all the shades! It isn't too pale for my tanned skin (MAC NC30 as of now) and I still look healthy when I wear it (unlike other corpse-nude colours). Subtle but you can still tell that it's on. A very wearable everyday colour.

Peach (晶亮珊瑚) is similar to Princess, but brighter and more vivid, with a coral hue. In Chinese, it translates into 'bright coral', which is a good shade description.

Sweet Pink (甜蜜粉紅) looks like a seriously bright bubble-gum pink in the tube! It really scared me at first, but because the formula of these lipsticks are sheer like a balm, it is really wearable. I like it too! It is blue-based, but not so blue-based that it doesn't work for yellower Asian skintones, so I like it! It is a nice blue-based pink that works for Asians. Good shade description.

From left: Princess (千金裸唇), Peach (晶亮珊瑚), Sweet Pink (甜蜜粉紅)

The formula of these lipsticks is very creamy and they have a dewy finish. They glide on very easily, like a lipstick-lipbalm hybrid. They contain Sodium Hyaluronate for moisture, and Vitamin E. They settle into liplines a teensy bit, but it's not noticeable because they're sheer. They're not too sheer - they hit a good balance between sheerness and good pigmentation. However, while they feel moisturizing, my lips still feel a little dry after wearing them, so you do need a good lipbalm under it. Plus, they wear off pretty quickly within a couple of hours, which is common for such creamy lipsticks.

The regular price of these lipsticks is NT300 for 3.5g, which is pretty reasonable. The lipstick tube is a little rubbery-plasticky, like NARS packaging, pretty classy for a drugstore brand.

Rating: 8/10

Organization and Review: Kevin Beautymaker Skin Repair Awakening Gel

Recently for day I've been using Kevin Beautymaker Skin Repair Awakening Gel. Just one of the many items in my stash I've resolved to use up before I go to Taiwan again next year to stock up!

It comes in a frosted glass jar, quite classy-looking, NT330 for 50g which is about S$16 or US$12 thereabouts. The description is pretty cute - "It has a tender, friendly texture. Only a pearl-size particle is enough to apply to your entire face." I think it does have a 'tender' texture - an easily absorbed gel-serum, but because it's quite light, I think I need to apply more - like, probably a really huge and expensive freshwater pearl-sized amount? Lol.

The description suggests 2 ways of using - as part of your regular morning routine as a massage gel, or as a sleeping pck at night -

Use before make-up:
Natural rose wter can calm the skin down; combining natural yeast extract with facial massage can remove the old corneum and brighten your skin.

Use before sleep:
Kinds of algae and the three-dimensional amino acid moisturizing membrane can retain all active cosmetic ingredients and accelerate the speed of absorption; like wearing a non-sticky mask while sleeping.

Ingredients:
Purified water, ethyl alcohol, cabbage rose water, butylene glycol, glycerin, pineapple extract, gama-polyglutamic acid, glycine, methylparaben, propylene glycol and yeast extract, codium tomentosum extract and propylene glycol, tocopheryl acetate, methylisothiazolinone, serine, hydrolyzed ulva lactuca extract, auqa and chrondus crispus, fragrance, squalane.

As I'm using Vitacreme B12 at night, I ony use this in the morning. I don't use it for facial massage though, because facial massages always go upwards and I don't like applying stuff other than toner upwards cos I'm afraid it'll clog my pores. So basically I can only comment on the moisturizing aspect.

Skin Repair Awakening Gel smells really really good, like rose water! Cos of the cabbage rose water. It also contains Vitamin E and hydrating stuff like glycerin and squalane. Also, yeast extract is a good humectant and apparently helps accelerate cell turnover. (Googled!) I like that this moisturizer is a light watery gel that doesn't make my skin more oily, just that it's kind of sticky. It absorbs quite well and the scent is very relaxing. I do find my skin clarity improved after using it, so it does "awaken" my skin somewhat. This gel should suit oily skin well but those with drier skin would do well to use another moisturizing serum underneath. That's cos I find if I'm in a room with strong air-conditioning for about 12+ hours, my skin can get slightly dry at the end of the day. For regular 10 hour days in places that aren't too cold and dry, it's quite sufficient. The only other thing I don't really like (other than the stickiness) is the fact that it comes in a jar - not too hygienic!

Rating: 9/10 (I'd prefer Kevin Beautymaker Aquamarine Hydrating Serum! It's more moisturizing and smells just as good.)

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In other news, The Body Shop's having a sale on organic cotton pads - each roll has 100 dual-sided pieces and 2 rolls are going for S$5.90. Pretty good deal I'd say! I put them in my Daiso glittery pink box, fits one roll perfectly. Love it. The cotton pads are very nice and thick and the textured side can be used for exfoliation. I know some people say toner is useless, but I find it very important because when you use cotton to apply it upwards, you're actually exfoliating your skin gently and hydrating your skin so that it's better primed for absorption of skincare. (From Saeki Chizu, my skincare guru. Lol.)



Recently I've been crazy about organizing. I went to Daiso to get my super cute glittery pink acrylic box series - they're so versatile. I hope they restock! I didn't manage to get enough. :( This is but about 50% of my stash; I didn't take photos of the other drawers which are still kind of messy. >_< I've already thrown away quite a bit of stuff. Must get rid of stuff so that I can go on more vacations and buy more stuff! :D

My current vanity area. Love the pink beaded mirror from IKEA. And I love the owl, it's an ocarina from Australia. I got the brush holders from Muji (so expensive; you can probably find good acrylic alternatives from Daiso) and all the glittery pink ones from Daiso. Love. Them. To. Bits.

Shelf for skincare/hair stuff/shower stuff. I have enough make-up removers for another year. Cleansers too I think. I have a list of them written down and filed and cancel them off neatly when I finish a bottle. I need to do stuff like that or I'd go crazy.

Some unopened boxes of masks, and discarded packaging for products I haven't gotten around to reviewing. Also, some empty used-up bottles for products which were bought overseas or are difficult to find, so that when I search for them in the shops I have something to refer to.

Foundation, loose powder, blush - stuff I don't use often.

Cheek and eye stuff.

Shelf of unused brushes, SPF sunscreen, my whole stash of eyeliners, BB creams (in box, hidden), stashes of foundation refills and boxes of eyedrops.

Not too organized yet but will be trying to clear! Hope to take a comparison photo in half a year's time to see how much I've used up. I'm definitely not adding to my stash right now, just trying to clear so that I can purchase more when I go on holiday in the future. (:

Review: Bio Beauty Skincology Advanced Hydrating Serum II and Beautymaker Aquamarine Hydrating Serum

Happy New Year everyone! Apologies for lack of updates, life's been hectic. I'm gonna start the year off with a rave review for these 2 hyaluronic acid serums I bought in Taiwan last year and only got around to finishing recently.

Kevin Beautymaker Aquamarine Serum II and Bio Beauty Skincology Advanced Hydrating Serum.

Hyaluronic acid, I believe, is the best kind of moisturizer for people with oily, acne-prone or reactive skin that is prone to breakouts. A lot of people who have problems with oiliness actually have dehydrated skin as well. The oily-but-dehydrated skin thing, what an irony. :( But hyaluronic acid is good because it is light, but it's a great humectant as well, attracting more than a thousand times its own weight in water. Read this for more information! I like how hyaluronic acid leaves my skin plump - it's because it retains water in the skin and brings about plumpness of the skin due to retention of water.

L-R: Bio Beauty Skincology Advanced Hydrating Serum II, Beautymaker Aquamarine Hydrating Serum

Same, to show the texture.

Bio Beauty Skincology Advanced Hydrating Serum II
This is a lighter, more watery serum than the Beautymaker one. It plumps up my skin real good! It's very fluid and dries quickly, but once it dries it can give a tight feeling, and I find it can't be used on its own. Instead, I have to layer another lightweight moisturizer over it. While the serum's not too substantial by itself, I can definitely tell the difference when I use it - it really helps prevent my skin from drying out and extends the moisturizing capability of whatever I layer on top of it. I use this up very quickly - 30ml is gone in a month!

Plus - it's very cheap, I think about SGD$17 a bottle or around USD11 for 30 ml. I like the clean glass bottle with the dropper, very hygienic and practical. But the only way you can get it is through the Payeasy website which I don't think delivers outside of Taiwan. Thank God I have a Taiwanese friend, I'm thinking of getting her to CP me another 5 more bottles (there's a discount if you buy 5).

Ingredients: Purified water, sodium hyaluronate, panthenol, sodium PCA, natto extract, cactus extract, butylene glycol, dmdm hydantoin, iodopropynyl butylcarbamate.

Rating: 10/10

Kevin Beautymaker Aquamarine Hydrating Serum
This is a thicker, slightly sticky serum. It smells really good, like rosewater. It may be a serum, but I find it hydrating enough to be used on its own. In fact, my favourite way to use these 2 serums is to layer the Aquamarine Serum over the Advanced Hydrating Serum. This method really locks in the moisture the whole day. The Aquamarine Serum is slightly more expensive - about USD14 for 30ml if I remember correctly. I used this up in about 1.5 months.

Ingredients: Carbomer, deep sea water, hyaluronic acid, cucumber extract, butylene glycol, glycerin, ethyl alcohol, gamma-polyglutamic acid, triethanolamine, glycine, cyclomethicone, serine, auqa and chondrus crispus, hydrolyzed placental protein, methyl paraben, disodium EDTA, hydroxyproline, ethylisothiazolinone, mica & titanium dioxide, hydrolyzed ulva lactuca extract, algae extract, pelvetia canaliculata extract, codium tomentosum extract & propylene glycol, fragrance, acetyl hexapeptide-3.

Rating: 10/10

Another thing to note - I have been looking at other hyaluronic acid skincare brands like Aquajuju,Hada Labo and Shiseido Aqualabel (because my Taiwanese friend is kind of busy and I won't be getting my back-ups anytime soon and I need a replacement), and looking at the ingredients lists, I realised that for all of them, the hyaluronic acid (or sodium hyaluronate) component comes much later in the ingredients list. On the other hand, you can see from the ingredients lists above that for both the Bio Beauty and Beautymaker serums, hyaluronic acid (or sodium hyaluronate) is the first active ingredient. I'm not sure if this makes a difference, but I'll be trying the AquaJuju, Hada Labo and Aqualabel ones soon to see if I can find a suitable replacement.

However, if I had a choice, I think these 2 serums are the best because they're so pocket-friendly! (AquaJuju, Hada Labo and Aqualabel are about 50% more expensive I think.) I especially like the Bio Beauty Advanced Hydrating Serum II because the ingredients list is very simple and doesn't contain weird chemicals that may irritate skin.

If you haven't tried hyaluronic acid skincare yet, do give it a try! This miracle ingredient has really done wonders for my skin. However, just one thing to take note - hyaluronic acid works best in humid climates (like Singapore!) because it draws moisture from the air and retains it on your skin. If you live in a dry climate (like Australia), hyaluronic acid might actually leech moisture from your skin instead (because there is no moisture in the air). In that case, you can try taking hyaluronic acid supplements. Fancl makes a good one.

Have a good 2011 everyone!

Review + Swatches: Kevin Beautymaker Aqua Eye Concealer and Color Correcting Eyelid Primer

These were recommended to me by my friend during my internship last year, then I went to google and realised Fuzkittie liked Beautymaker stuff as well, so last year when I went to Taiwan, I ordered a whole bunch including these from the Payeasy website! It's pretty easy for foreigners to order from Payeasy, you can order like a couple of days before you reach Taiwan. You'll need to sign up for an account, and choose to pay by cash and collection at a convenience store (by choosing the store location on a map). Basically you need some understanding of Chinese and pretty good map-reading skills. :P


The packaging is quite pretty, I find the box similar to MAC's style. The price is really affordable, they always have promotions on Payeasy. I would consider Kevin Beautymaker to be in the same category as drugstore brands, though they're slightly marked up on websites like Imomoko.


From left: Kevin Beautymaker Color Correcting Eyelid Primer, Kevin Beautymaker Aqua Eye Concealer in #1 Bright and #2 Natural
The packaging is really above average - there's a magnetic closure, and the mirror is really convenient!

Basically the tagline for these products is - 'First brighten, then conceal!' So you're supposed to use the eyelid brightener first followed by the concealer. I guess the concept of the eyelid primer is kind of like Benefit's Lemonaid.



Swatches: Kevin Beautymaker Color Correcting Eyelid Primer, Kevin Beautymaker Aqua Eye Concealer in #1 Bright and #2 Natural
The colour of the concealer in the pan looks scary and dark, but once swatched, they're actually quite light. The best thing about these would be the aqua texture - really light, watery and blendable! I find the concealers to have a peachy tone though, and may not be very suitable for Asian complexions, cos I find yellow works better. And I guess that's where the pale yellow primer helps!


The Naked Eye

With eyelid primer (under the eyes as well)

With eyelid primer and concealer #2
The effect of the concealer is quite natural and doesn't cake or crease. The primer, on the other hand, creases like crazy on my eyelids from the moment I put it on. So I wouldn't call it a primer exactly, it's more of an eyelid brightener, and works quite well over UDPP. It's pretty chalky as you can tell from the swatch, but if you blend well it really makes you look wide awake.

Rating: 7/10 for both

Pros: Great texture, no caking, affordable with great packaging
Cons: Non-lasting primer, poor colour selection with peach tones


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Anyway, one weird thing I notice with my general use of concealers is that when I use concealer, I look a lot more Chinese! When I don't use concealer, with the dark shadows around my eyes, I find my eyes look rounder and according to my friend, 'deep-set' and dimensional, but with concealer alone, while I do look more awake, I also look more chinky cos it sort of flattens my undereye area, and makes my eyes look more narrow and slanted and... small. Does anyone else experience this?! I'm really curious!