Essence Soft Touch Mousse Makeup Foundation-review & swatches.

Hey everyone! hope you all had a wonderful March:) I can't believe that we have almost stepped into the fourth month of 2012,Goodness.. how time flies away!

almost a week back me and my sister was out for shopping I bought a couple of skin care items for summer and my sister was in need of a foundation,she got herself an essence mousse foundation.she gets some pigmentation and her skin gets oily during summer so she wanted a light coverage foundation to even out her complexion that controls shine and mattifies her skin...after checking out L'Oreal,Rimmel,and Artdeco we bought this one.

                                     

Packaging: The foundation comes in a glass jar with a plastic lid.it is light weight and will not take much space in your makeup pouch.you might also think that you are getting a jar full of foundation,it is only half full.this foundation not gonna last more than a month if used everyday.

Price & Availability:I bought this from naheed super market for Rs.590.

 International readers can Click HERE to check out from where they can buy essence cosmetics.

Coverage & Texture:This foundation is super light weight and it feels like as if you have nothing on face so its perfect for summer when you just want to have minimum products on face.The texture is very smooth and coverage is light.this foundation is in 01 sand.

My Thoughts:This is what my sister think about this foundation so its her opinion and mine as well because I used this foundation a couple of times just to check how it works..its  not a perfect match for my skin,it is at-least two tones lighter.This foundation is very natural in a sense that non of the colors are orangy,yellowish and pinkish,its just very neutral.sadly they dont have colors for darker skins.it looks a little powdery when first alpplied but it sets well after 10 or 15 minutes but it doesn't mean you will have to wait to apply the rest of the makeup.

As I mentioned above this foundation is very smooth almost like a primer,it works very well without a primer and doesn't even need a brush,it works best with fingers.it completely mattifies my face and my sister's face without making it look flat and matte,it leaves a silky and smooth finish.

If you have acne dark spots like I have,it doesn't cover all the spots it just lightens them,you would need some concealer to conceal the spots.

If you are looking for a foundation that mattifies and gives a nice silky finish to your face,evens out our complexion and isn't high maintenance you'd love this.no primer and brush is required and you'll just need 30seconds.it is super long lasting as well.the T zone requires a little bit of retouching after 5 hours.

My sister is definitely going to repurchase this.I wish they had my color:(

17 shine control loose powder & mirror shine lipstick.

A dear friend visiting Great Britain bought both things for me :) of course I paid for everything,after a few buys my friend got a 5 pound voucher to spend on 17 products, he already got my mirror shine lipsticks so he called me asking what else I want ...I thought its a good chance of trying out something new.

17 shine control loose powder is a micro fine translucent powder to help control shine break thorigh.it is oil free dermatological tested,fragrance free which is great.

The powder is translucent so I guess it will suit all skin tones...the powder is very smooth,matte. Packaging is very basic nothing fancy...the size of the holes are appropriate enough and it doesn't dispose off a lot product at once.the packaging is deceiving I thought the whole jar is full of powder but it was only half full or half empty!! later I realized its nothing to nit pick,I use a little amount of this product and its going to last me a long time.

It does an amazing job controlling shine on my face,because I have oily skin and it completely mattifies my face without making my complexion look very flat.I never got any breakouts, I absolutely love this product..its the best setting powder for oily skin that I have ever used:)

How cute mirror shine lipsticks look...flashy little lippies...the packaging though is not good quality.Mirror shine lipsticks are very very sheer even the brightest shade looks very sheer on lips.I love sheer lipsticks.if you don't than you might not like them at all.Belle is my favorite color,it looks dark in the tube but its a sheer pink color.it adds so much shine on my lips,its smooth and glossy,but the staying power is below average,I find my self reapplying it alot.I know these aren't the best lipsticks out there,but the clear luxurious shine,smoothness makes me want to wear this lipsticks again and again,this is the kind of texture I like...this is my second Belle and I am going to try out more colors from this range.when ever I wear this lipstick I usually get compliments:)
Excuse me for the blurry picture...this one really captured the true color of the lipstick:)
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Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipsticks

This is not a recent purchase.I bought Moisture Renew lipsticks in Heather shimmer and Nude Delight quite a long time back but never mention them on my blog,I think it deserve a review.I might not like the colors I got but I can't avoid the fact how nice these lipsticks are,I wanted to add some new and different colors in my lipstick collection,Heather shimmer is a pretty color but Nude Delight is too nude for me.

Packaging: I absolutely adore the packaging flashy metallic purple and the crown logo on top of the cap.the cap fits tightly and doesn't have a chance of slipping in your hand bag.

Texture and Coverage: I swatched all of the lipsticks (available at the display,14 shades I remember) and all of them were very pigmented,but the texture are different...some are more creamy with a lovely sheen some are moisturizing and clear glossy ...a couple of the lippies had some shimmer. they do feel a little heavy on lips because it has SPF18.
Price& Availability: In Paksitan these are available at most super markets,I got mine from Imtiaz super market Karachi for Rs.640. I've noticed that prices are different at some stores...it ranges between Rs.640 to Rs.720.
For international readers you can get them under $7.take a look at Rimmel London Website
My Thoughts: most of the colors in this range are very pretty and they would most definitely suit all skin tones except Nude Delight.Heather Shimmer is a deep shade and I am really not sure how to describe the color..its not that I am bad at describing colors its just that its a very confusing color... sometimes it looks more like a deep mauve with brown undertones...I guess its because of the shimmer that changes the color of its appearance.Nude delight is a peachy nude....its like a concealer on my lip....I never wear it alone.I always top it with a gloss or another lipstick.I don't know what was I thinking when I bought this color.Both lipsticks are heavily pigmented and very creamy,Nude Delight has a clear sheen and Heather Shimmer is a little shimmery and frosty.


I personally dont like the scent of this.and its not the kind of smell that fades away after an hour.it stays as long as the lipstick is on lips.its the only thing I dont like in them.


I would really recommend this to anyone looking for a nice and good quality plus affordable lipstick, Moisture Renew lipsticks are probably the best reasonably priced lipsticks in Pakistan...good packaging and pigmentation,it has SPF 18 and 4g of product, long lasting and moisturizing and it has vitamin A,C,E to nourish the lips....and of course a good color collection.


I know its been so many days,I am going to announce the winner of my last giveaway tomorrow on Facebook.

Essence Cosmetics In Pakistan.

I went to Naheed super market and discovered they have essence products..wow!!! I have never ever tired any of their stuff but came across alot of rave reviews about their products and I was glad to see that essence display has full collection of products,I don't think any item is missing(except skincare and latest editions).Prices are so affordable.They wont rob you of money like some other international brands in Pakistan.
UPDATE: skincare items are now available.

I swatched some of the products and tried to take the pictures but the lighting was too bad and the swatches showed up quite ugly.so if you are thinking of building your makeup collection and you don't have a lot of money, don't forget to visit essence.

essence products price ranges between Rs.150 to 700...and I've already decided o try a couple of items like french manicures tip guide,color&go quick drying nail polishes (these tiny funky colors are only for RS.200) and the smokey eye kit....I am so glad that there are now more affordable products in Pakistan for everyone to enjoy cosmetics.

Have you tried any of essence cosmetics...I bought a mascara  for the giveaway! you can zoom in the pictures to check out the prices.

MAC Blush In Desert Rose (swatch&review)

Hey everyone:) So this time its about a blush.....a pretty rosy pink blush from Mac.I really wanted to try a matte blush so I picked up this because its a prefect matte and only Mac makes perfectly matte blushes.I went to EBCO Karachi....well they only have a few blushes so had to order this one from www.just4girls.pk

Packaging: As is all MAC packaging this blush also comes in a black plastic pot with a clear lid and it contains 6g of product.

Texture,Coverage: Desert Rose is a Powder blush "Matte",very pigmented and smooth but not as smooth as sheertone blushes from Mac.Its in the permanent collection.
Price,Availability: Rs.3650 from  just for girls.pk HERE (for Pakistan)
                                  USD.20 check out the MAC website HERE
                                  UK.17.50 check out the MAC UK website HERE
prices mentioned above are approximate,it may vary depending where you live and buy this product.
My Thoughts:Desert Rose is a warm toned rosy pink color and it will suit almost any skin tone.A lot of you might think its a mauve color,apparently Mac is the only one who describe it as a soft reddish burgundy!! Desert rose is a medium pink incredibly pigmented blush,I just slightly dab my brush once and thats enough for both cheeks.... its a great every day color for all seasons and the warm tone of this blush adds a little bit of contour to my cheeks.this blush doesn't require retouching through out the day which is awesome and makes it perfect for office going ladies and anyone with oily skin.
I know MAC blushes are too pricey in Pakistan,and if you're wondering if its worth investing...Yes I definitely think its worth it!! The quality and pigmentation of all MAC blushes are amazing.I love them mostly because they are not overloaded with glitters and shimmer like most of the drugstore and high end blushes.  
I'd definitely repurchase this blush (probably after years because I have used this alot and it still looks untouched) and I'd recommend this.


I hope you enjoyed reading this review;) everyone has a MAC fav blush...whats your favorite?