August/September 2017 Empties

Emma Hardie Amazing Face Age Support Treatment Cream

I love the Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm so I decided to add this moisturiser to my shopping cart when I was repurchasing the cleansing balm. It has lots of promising ingredients such as moringa, evening primrose, rose hip, vitamin E and hyaluronic acid. But I was disappointed.

This moisturiser promises ultra-hydration and lifting/tightening effects but I saw none. It is actually quite lightweight and “fluffy”, lighter than an average face cream, just slightly thicker than a lotion. I opened this tub in the beginning of winter and it did not provide enough hydration for my combination to dry skin. I had to rely on other moisturising serums to tackle the lack of hydration. And it had a weird scent, almost sour to my nose so it was not very pleasant to use. (I am confused. Did I get a bad batch?) The packaging is also too bulky for my liking.

La Mer The Renewal Oil

I have done a full review of this beauty here. It is a bi-phase facial oil that is lightweight and hydrating at the same time. It improves the overall radiance and suppleness of my skin and is very versatile. Easily the best facial oil I have used. I have already repurchased.

Kiehl’s - Clearly Corrective Foaming Cleanser

A deluxe sample I received as GWP and I really enjoyed it. I used it as my morning cleanser and it was gentle yet effective. It didn’t leave my skin tight and brightened my face a little bit. I might purchase a full size when I run out of cleansers.

Curel Kao Makeup Cleansing Gel

This is a beautiful Japanese budget cleansing gel for sensitive and dry skin. It transforms from gel to oil with minimal rubbing and washes off very easily with water. It is very effective at removing makeup including waterproof products and is never too harsh for my skin. I go through a tube of this very quickly and this is probably my eighth. It’s a staple for me.

Kiehl's - Crème de Corps

A HG body lotion for many. And I can see the appeal – very moisturising, leaves a beautiful sheen on the skin, buttery melting texture and a cult following. One problem I had was the packaging. It was very difficult to use the last bit in the bottle without cutting open the bottle. It was a limited edition bottle so I didn’t want to cut it…but it also meant a lot of waste of product. Aah the dilemma one has to face…

The Ordinary Buffet (missing from the picture)

I have done a detailed review of this beautiful serum here. It is a lightweight serum targeting dryness, fine lines and wrinkles. I think it is one of the best products The Ordinary has to offer and definitely my personal favourite. I have already repurchased three more bottles when Priceline had its 40% skincare sale. Say no more.

Bifesta Mandom Eye Makeup Remover

If you are into the K-beauty/Asian beauty trend, then you might have heard of this eye makeup remover. It has won multiple awards and is cheap as chips. I have gone through at least five bottles and it is easily my favourite. It removes my waterproof mascara and eyeliner in a breeze with no rubbing. It outperforms many of the high-end makeup removers I have tried and comes at a fraction of the price. Please grab a bottle to try out the next time you visit Asia or you can easily find it online (I got mine from adambeauty.com, not sponsored/affiliated).

Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer

Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer

By now every makeup addict should have tried or heard of the Tarte Shape Tape concealer. It has been on every beauty blogger/youtuber’s tongue since it launched last year. Surprisingly, it is not yet available in Australia. Sephora which sells Tarte in Australia does not carry the famed Shape Tape concealer line. But rest assured Aussies can buy this popular concealer from the Tarte website directly and they have free AU shipping on orders over $88 (this threshold seems to vary constantly!).

What Tarte says/product description:

• A best-selling, full-coverage, vegan, blendable concealer that instantly brightens, smooths & shapes skin.
• Available in 14 shades
• Interesting fact: one shape tape is sold every 26 seconds.
• RRP AU$37/10ml

My experience:

The first thing that jumps out at me is the packaging. It features a massive wand for application. I think Tarte designed the concealer to be used as a contouring product, hence the bigger than normal wand for quicker application. But I only use this for my undereye circles and pigmentation, so I would personally prefer a smaller wand for precise application. On the flip side, the Shape Tape concealer also contains a lot of product – 10ml. Other concealers are typically around 6ml, i.e., Nar Radiant Creamy Concealer is 6ml and Maybelline Fit Me Concealer is 6.8ml.  So the Shape Tape concealer works out to be a great value product.

This concealer offers great coverage and yet blends beautifully into my skin. Given the coverage, I was surprised at how light the texture of this concealer is. Texture wise, it is thinner/lighter than Nars Radiant Creamy concealer but provides better coverage than Nars. And because of the light texture, it does not settle into my fine lines like the Nars one does, which is a huge plus for me. I can see people who have acne really enjoy this concealer because how light and high coverage it is.

My shade is light sand, which has yellow/warm undertone and matches roughly Mac NC20-25, Chanel #20 Clair and Armani LSF 5. The light sand in the Tarte Rainforest of the Sea foundation also matches me quite well so I would say that the shade range runs consistently in the Tarte concealer lineup.

Application of this concealer is a little tricky because it sets/dries down very quickly. I like to dot the concealer around my eyes – two dots for each eye give enough coverage for me, and quickly blend away with a sponge. Then I move on to the corners of my nose and mouth. I found that if I dot the products all over and then start blending, by the time I finish blending my undereyes the concealer around my nose has already started to set, therefore becomes harder to blend. For this reason, I wouldn’t use it for contouring either because it sets too quickly for blending a large area.

Lasting power of this concealer is pretty impressive too. It lasts well for at least eight hours. By the time I am home to remove my makeup, the Shape Tape concealer always performs better than my foundation doesn’t matter what foundation I am wearing on the day.

A minor disappointment is the shelf life of this concealer – only six months. I really don’t see myself finishing all 10ml of this concealer in six months. And because it is a liquid/cream product, I don’t want to use it after expiry date either.

All in all, this is a great all-rounder concealer. It is great for concealing undereyes, pigmentation and acne scarring and lasts really well.

Repurchase? Yes, if I manage to hit pan on this massive tube and finish all my other concealers…