COVERGIRL NATURELUXE SILK FOUNDATION REVIEW

Product Description (as on the official website)

Redefine natural beauty with a touch of cucumber water and a hint of jojoba and rose hip extracts. Our light formula takes heavy weight out of your polished finish.

• Lightweight feel
• A touch of nature
• Contains a hint of jojoba and cucumber extract 

Price

I bought it at Priceline for AU$18.95

What I Think // My Experience

I decided to buy this foundation after seeing many beauty bloggers and YouTubers rave about it. I got it in the lightest shade available at the store, 325 Sandstone, which is actually a tad bit darker than my skin. Usually when buying foundation or BB creams, I tend to gravitate towards shades that are lighter than my skintone, so I had doubts that I will like it. But I thought I'll just try it anyway, and hopefully I will like it.

I actually don't use foundation before this, and always opted for BB creams. The reason is because of my acne-prone skin, and my bad experience with foundation (the only foundation I owned before this is the Clinique Perfectly Real Makeup foundation, and I didn't like it at all). That's why even after I bought it, I had doubts and were skeptical about it, but I was hoping that it will change my view on foundations.

When I first tried it about half a year ago, I'd have to say that I wasn't impressed. I thought it made my skin look dull and plain. I thought that it only does an okay job at evening out my complexion and covering my blemishes. I thought that BB creams do a much better job at making my face look brighter and smoother. However, I did notice that it looks very natural, it looks just like my skin. But back then, strangely, I didn't think of it as a good thing. I thought that it looked too natural as if I didn't put anything on.

I was quite confused as to why a lot of people love this foundation, as it wasn't working that well for me. I was wondering if it was me who was using it wrong. Then I did a little bit of research on it again, and that's when I watched Jen Frmheadtotoe 's review on it. She's my most favourite beauty guru, and I trust her opinions on beauty products. Well, she didn't like it, and it further strengthens my dislike about it.

  

About a couple months ago, I decided to give this foundation a try again to see if it'll change my mind, since my skin condition is a lot different now. And surprisingly, it did! I think the fact that my skin texture has improved a lot and that I don't have acne (only acne scars and hyperpigmentation) anymore also plays a role. I think this foundation does a great job at evening out my skin tone, and also covers my acne scars and hyperpigmentation. I still do need to put concealer on when I want my skin to look flawless though. I didn't use any concealer in these photos, however. All these photos are taken with my iPhone 5 front camera, and are all unedited (except the product photos).

It has a very pleasant cucumber scent, which I prefer much more than chemical scent. I always apply it with a foundation brush. The texture is very smooth and blendable. I'd say the consistency is in between cream and liquid, which I really like. It is not as thick as cream foundations, and not as thin as the liquid ones. But it is very lightweight. It has a silky finish. I'd say it looks a little bit dewy and I still need to put on finishing powder on top of it.

I also really like how it looks very natural, as if it's just my own skin. I still think it makes my face looks dull and plain (but this might also because I use a shade darker than my own skintone), but I've found a way to fix it. I just need to apply another foundation that's much lighter on the areas where I want to highlight, such as the middle of my forehead, nose bridge, upper cheeks, and under the eyes.

Do I recommend it?

While I think this is a great foundation, I don't think it's an amazing one. I don't recommend it to people with yellow undertones, as most, if not all, of the shades are of pink undertones. However, if you do have pink undertone like me, then yes, I do recommend you to try this foundation :)

Besides, did I mention that the tube is made out of recyclable plastic material? The CoverGirl NatureLuxe line is the environmentally-friendly range from the brand, hence the green color of its packaging. Therefore, you'll also notice that the weight is so much lighter that its other foundations that are packaged in glass bottles.

Will I repurchase it? 

Yes, I will. In fact, I'm already thinking of purchasing one in a lighter shade that suits my skintone, and hopefully I'll like it even more.

♥,

Michelle.

OUTFIT-OF-THE-DAY: A POP OF PURPLE

Lately, I've been really into colorful jeans. Just about a couple months ago, my jeans were all shades of blue and black (some with patterns). I just looked and counted how many pairs of colorful jeans I have now, and surprisingly I now have seven. But looks like my colorful jeans collection will grow even more since winter is coming soon.

I don't really like wearing dark colors, especially in winter where everyone does. And since I'll be wearing jeans a lot in winter, I thought it'd be great if I can wear colorful ones so it won't look too bland and boring. These jeans are from Cotton On. I'm very picky with jeans, as most of the jeans that I've tried at different shops never really fit me perfectly well (if you know me well, you know that when it comes to clothing, I'm all about the 'fit'). But Cotton On jeans surprisingly fit me very well, and I think it compliments my shape. I'm definitely gonna buy more jeans from Cotton On :D

I paired the jeans with a white chiffon top with shoulder cut-outs (which you can't see it in this photo) and this sparkly, studded pink blazer I got from Forever New. I wore this outfit to dinner with a friend and it was my first time wearing these purple jeans and the blazer. I fell in love with the blazer as soon as I saw it in the Forever New shop <3 It's just perfectly my kind of style. I think I'll be using it a lot, as it goes well with a lot of my clothes. I can imagine myself wearing it a lot this winter too.


♥,

Michelle.

MAKE-UP PRODUCT REVIEWS COMING SOON!

Hi guys,

It's been a while since my last post. (I know I keep on saying this, sorry! :()

I'm currently doing a subject called "Management of Brands". So, basically the whole course is about building your own personal brand. You know like how famous people such as Barrack Obama, Paris Hilton, and Kim Kardashian all have a strong brand image in the public regardless of whether it's good or bad. So, basically I'd have to do the same.

We have to build this personal brand using at least three media platforms. I decided on Blogspot, Instagram, and Twitter as my main platforms. I initially wanted to use YouTube as my main platform, as I feel more comfortable speaking than writing. But then I realized that I don't have a camera (I lost mine again last year), and the camera on my iMac isn't good enough for product reviews.

We also have to have a central theme, and since I have a lot of interests in make-up, fashion, and just anything beauty-related, I decided a "beauty enthusiast" as my central theme.  Therefore, I'll be posting make-up and fashion-related topics, such as make-up reviews, outfit-of-the-day pictures, favorites list, make-up/fashion inspirations, etc.

Beauty gurus such as Jen Frmheadtotoe and Holly Ann-Aeree have inspired me so much. I've always wanted to start making beauty-related videos and blogposts, but I somehow always managed to find excuses to not do it. So I think this is a very good opportunity for me to stop making excuses, and start doing it. I was actually really excited when I read the course description, and have been thinking a lot about it.

So I hope you guys will like it, and i hope my reviews will be useful and informative for those who ar considering to buy the products. I'm aiming to have a new blog post every few days, so please come back again in a couple days or so! :)

(Oh BTW, if there's any make-up product you'd like me to review, please leave a comment down below, and I will review it if I have it :))

♥,
Michelle

P.S: Comments are highly appreciated :D

"Some things are better left unknown..."

That saying in the title, I've been using and hearing it a lot especially this year.

I can pretty much say that I'm a very curious person, I always want to know everything, and sometimes will go out of my way to satisfy my curiosity. Now, having bits of knowledge about everything is good, but not always - especially when having that 'knowledge' puts me in a difficult situation.

This afternoon, I was having a chat with this person ("this person" could be of any gender ;) ) like any other normal day. Then somehow we got to the topics of more serious and personal matters. And somehow, after making me promise to be completely discreet about this, this person told me a huge secret that involves some other people and their families and relationships. This said matter is really huge and has a great impact on the people who are involved in this. This really puts me in a very difficult situation. I really should tell someone about this, but I can't, knowing that their lives are better off without knowing the truth. On the other hand, I feel terrible for letting those innocent people go on with their lives without knowing what really happened. I really don't know what to do, I wish I could undo that conversation..

This made me think a lot about all the difficult situations that could possibly happen in the future, and how I would deal with them.. Lots of thoughts are running through my mind..


What would you do if you found out that your sister's husband is cheating on her?

What would you do if you found out that your dad's cheating on your mom?

What would you do if you witness your brother/sister killing someone (be it out of self-defence) ?

A Quote A Day Keeps Your Troubles Away

I've always loved reading quotes by famous people. 

They can come in handy at times when I need encouragement, motivation, and inspiration. 

Some of the quotes I read even made me understand things I couldn't fathom, open up my mind to things I never thought, and allow me to look at things at a different angle. 

These are some of my personal favorites. I made these pictures myself, but feel free to use it, I'd be glad :D

P.S. : pls ignore the pseudo-misleading title, I couldn't come up with a better, catchier one lol

Hahndorf, Australia's German town

Last month, I went to Hahndorf with my host family. Hahndorf is a little German town located in the Adelaide Hills. It's my 4th time there, but I'm still fascinated everytime I go there. We also visited some other places in the Adelaide Hills while we were there. I skipped church for this :X

 First stop, is the Beerenberg jam factory.

Michael (my host father), Rita (my fellow homestay 'student'), and Me.

Then, we headed straight to Hahndorf after.

With Prescilla, my host mother.

With Rita. She's a public school teacher in Indonesia. She was only here for 3 weeks, sent by the gov't (along with 40 other teachers) to learn about Australia's education system.

Too bad the photo's blurry, otherwise you can clearly see the tasty German sausage meal I had. Oh well.

Some postcards that Rita bought, the Aussie slangs ones are pretty interesting.

I always love seeing old couples; and this old couple are very talented! They're so nice and adorable too! <3 

Look at that lavender tree behind us, it was my first time seeing a lavender tree. It smelled so good! 

 Next, Michael took us to see this old water mill. This mill was used to grind flowers inside the building (if I'm not mistaken). He said it's been there for about a century, and it's still working!

It's a restaurant up there, next to the water mill.

Beautiful scenery nearby, definitely great for taking pics!

 Just looking at this is so refreshing.

Our last stop is The Summit. From there, you can see the beautiful view over the Adelaide city.

Free hugs, anyone?

I tried jumping and climbing so many times before I finally succeed getting on top of it to sit.

(:

Found this on my friend's Tumblr. Very 'galau', isn't it? Lol. 

Today's sermon at church was as if it's directed to me. I was astonished at how spot on it was. I think this is God's answer to my question. All this time, although I sorta knew it to be the answer, I chose to pretend not to. But now, I definitely know what to do, and it's about time :)

Oh by the way, I have lots of pictures to share, lots of things to blog. I've been itching to blog about them, but today's the last day of my 2-week mid-semester break (I had lots of fun during this mid-sem break, and am still not ready for uni tomorrow actually :( ), and I got a big assignment due on Thursday (which I haven't even looked at :S). But I'll definitely do it after I'm done with my assignment, so please come back visit my blog again ;)

Edit: After writing this post, I checked my study planner before I went to bed, and found out that my assignment was due on MONDAY, which was the day after I wrote the post! I freaked out like hell, but fortunately, I managed to get it done and handed it in on Tuesday. Pheww..

Get to know me better through "Cattell's 16 Personality Factors" :)

I just did some sort of a personality test, which I should've done last month as part of my tutorial preparation for Consumer Behaviour. It's called "Cattell's 16 Personality Factors", there were 85 questions.

You have to be honest with yourself when answering this, otherwise the result won't come out correct. Also, it depends on your circumstances/situation when you're answering the questions, so the result might come out differently if you do it another time. Below is my test result:

Cattell 16 Factor Test Results

Warmth |||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 86% Intellect ||||||||||||||| 42% Emotional Stability |||||||||||||||||| 58% Aggressiveness ||||||||||||||||||||| 62% Liveliness ||||||||||||||||||||| 70% Dutifulness ||||||||||||||||||||| 62% Social Assertiveness |||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 86% Sensitivity ||||||||||||||||||||| 70% Paranoia |||||| 18% Abstractness |||||||||||||||||||||||| 78% Introversion ||||||||| 26% Anxiety |||||||||||||||||| 58% Openmindedness |||||||||||||||||| 54% Independence |||||||||||| 38% Perfectionism |||||||||||||||||| 58% Tension ||||||||| 26%

Cattell's 16 Factor Key

Factor	low score	high score
Warmth	cold, selfish	supportive, comforting
Intellect	instinctive, unstable	cerebral, analytical
Emotional Stability	irritable, moody	level headed, calm
Aggressiveness	modest, docile	controlling, tough
Liveliness	somber, restrained	wild, fun loving
Dutifulness	untraditional, rebellious	conforming, traditional
Social Assertiveness	shy, withdrawn	uninhibited, bold
Sensitivity	coarse, tough	touchy, soft
Paranoia	trusting, easy going	wary, suspicious
Abstractness	practical, regular	strange, imaginative
Introversion	open, friendly	private, quiet
Anxiety	confident, self assured	fearful, self-doubting
Openmindedness	closeminded, set-in-ways	curious, exploratory
Independence	outgoing, social	loner, craves solitude
Perfectionism	disorganized, messy	orderly, thorough
Tension	relaxed, cool	stressed, unsatisfied

I personally think the test is pretty much true. What do you think?

Click here for the test :)

It'd be awesome if you share your results with me, my dear readers :D

Hyun Bin ♥

I just finished watching Secret Garden 2 days ago, and today I just finished watching the special episode. I gotta say this drama is the best K-drama I’ve watched so far (or it’s a tie with Endless Love). Every single minute I spent watching it was really worth it. As Se7en said it, it’s not just something to kill your time with, it gives me joy and taught me a lot of lessons.

Anyway, it’s not what this post is about. This post is about (as indicated in the title) the very talented and handsome Hyun Bin. I am completely head over heels for this guy.

He’s really a great actor. When he acted as Gil Ra Im when they switched bodies, he made it so believable. Also, when he got stuck in the elevator, his acting was so amazingly real.

I’ve been a fan of him since watching My Name Is Kim Sam Soon and A Millionaire’s First Love (actually I can’t remember which one I watched first lol). I’ve been a fan and have been liking him since then, but it was Secret Garden that made me completely fall for him. I used to think that he was really lucky to get to date Song Hye Kyo. But now, I think Song Hye Kyo was the one who’s lucky lol.

I never thought of him as really THAT goodlooking, and I still don’t think so. Well, I mean, he IS very goodlooking, of course. But there are tons of other Asian celebs who look much better than him; Daniel Henney and Dennis Oh to name a few. But I think he’s just got so much personality that sets him apart from others. His cheekiness is probably one of the qualities that make him very charming and attractive. Okay, I’m gonna stop now before I ramble too much. Bottomline, I LOVE Hyunbin!

I wanna start blogging again :D

It's 5 a.m. and I'm still blogging. I have been sleeping this late for the past few days, which is totally NOT good. I've quit blogging since many years ago (not that I was ever a passionate blogger though), but recently I made a couple of new friends, Cicilia and Shinta, and reading their blogs made me want to start blogging again :) Especially considering that I'm quite a forgetful person, blogging can help me keep track of how I spend my days. Hopefully, it will also improve my essay-writing skills. Lol.

Today, I woke up at 2 p.m. (again, lol) and went to the city to have dinner at Koreajung with Cicilia and Shinta. Then they took me to their hostel, and we spent a good 4 hours chatting, which was really fun! :D As we were talking, somehow we got to the topic of more serious and personal matters. Talking to them made me more sure of taking this 'action' I've been thinking of taking since weeks ago. Cicilia agreed with me about it; she said that I should take a big step, a big action, to get myself where I should be. Well, I'm planning to do it this Sunday, just before uni starts again. Hopefully I have the courage do it, wish me luck :)