10 posts tagged “lumiere”
I'm almost at the end of my sample of Lumiere's Light Medium Golden in Luminesse formula. This shade is definitely a very good match for me which isn't too surprising since the Luminesse formula is supposed to be darker than the same shade in Flawless or Veena. For the most part, Luminesse doesn't make me itch or break out but I don't think it can withstand our humid Malaysian weather. If I'm in an air-conditioned environment the whole day, like the office then it feels quite comfortable. But over the weekend I wore it from morning till evening, and spent the late afternoon browsing an open-air Indian bazaar. By sundown I just wanted to go home and wash my face because it was starting to have that sticky/heavy feeling! I also found that by the end of the day, Lt Med Golden darkens slightly. It's still a good match but it just gets a bit darker and closely resembles Med Golden in Veena Velvet.
It's too bad I don't live in a cooler climate or I would be tempted to order a fullsize of this. But for now I think I'll give it a miss and just continue to use up the sample I have.
UPDATED: Nov 11
I used up the last of this foundation sample today. I wore it to church in the morning and then to the mall to pick up some groceries. While idling in one of the drugstores I couldn't resist checking out the foundation match in one of their makeup counter mirrors. I was amazed to see the face-to-neck match was perfect! And it wasn't just that mirror/lighting, I multi-checked in the washroom and in various other shops with wall mirrors. Of course I had to pretend that I was trying on sunglasses and stuff instead of appearing to be a total narcissist *ahem*
Light Medium Golden Luminesse seems to be one of the best matches I've ever had and it does look good on me - not much oily appearance, doesn't overemphasize my pores etc. I do still think it feels a little heavy but am I willing to put up with that in favour of having such a good match? It's just as well I don't have any spare cash on me and probably won't have much for the next couple months, so I don't have to agonize over whether I should get a fullsize of this.
Due to lack of internet access and all, it's been awhile since I've really had time to update so this entry will be quite a long one!
Veena Velvet: I've been wearing Lumiere VV foundation for over a week and I don't think it is making my skin worse. I am getting a bit of acne right now but I don't think it's due to the VV. Also after wearing it for long periods of time (think half the day) I didn't experience any tiny pustules popping out which is usually a sign that the makeup is irritating my skin. Anyway, this is great because I do like the texture of VV very much!
MMBB: Lisa from MMBB was sweet enough to send me test samples of two new foundations she hopes to carry in future: Yellow Beige and Peachy Beige. Thank you, Lisa! Side-by-side in the baggies they both look very similar and are close or identical in depth to MMBB Tan foundation. Peachy Beige does look slightly more peachy compared to Yellow Beige. So far I've only worn YB and I found it to be a great match for me! Upon application the shade really looks perfect. However I think it does darken a smidgen after I've worn it a few hours so I'm curious to see if Lisa may eventually make a slightly lighter version. Otherwise, I may try to lighten it with a bit of Bright Eyed. I honestly don't think the darkening is obvious to anyone but myself, knowing how I scrutinize my foundation. I probably look like I got a little bit of sun but in no way does it look unnatural. YB will probably be the answer to Asian girls with medium to tan skin and yellow undertones looking to find a match with MMBB :) Formula/Texture-wise the jury is still out for me... MMBB doesn't make me itch, breakout or make my face feel tight but I'm not sure if it sits well with my rather oily skin despite the presence of kaolin in the formula. Sometimes I think it's just the weather though. Heat and humidity just tends to make me feel uncomfy no matter what. I will probably save this as a night time foundation or if I know I'm going to be in an air-conditioned environment for most of the day.
Meow: My Meow order finally arrived! I ordered samples of Manx in Frisky and Naughty and a sample of Abyssinian in Frisky as well as a couple feliners and their Intense Medium bronzer. Frisky-Abyssinian totally shocked me when I first saw it. It looks positively white with an uber-pale yellow tinge! I have no idea how I'm going to wear it and I haven't tried it yet. Really if their Frisky-Ab looks this pale I can't imagine what their Sleek and Inquisitive shades must look like. Frisky-Manx in Purrfect and Pampered looked pale too but not as white as Abys. Today curiosity got the better of me and I pulled out both Frisky-Manx samples, picked the one that seemed slightly darker (Pampered) and applied it over my freshly cleansed face. In the baggie, the foundation looked much paler than the other brands I normally wear but surprisingly it didn't look at all pale on my face. It might have been a tad light when I put it on but after wearing it awhile I checked my face and it had settled down into quite a good match! I only wore it for an hour so I can't really judge the feel of it, but the one gripe I've always had about the Pampered formula is that it doesn't really cover any of my imperfections or even blur the edges. I actually find that Purrfect is slightly better in this respect. Anyway, I haven't really tested Manx properly so maybe it's too early to tell. I sure do agree with everyone that Manx is yellow! I find it so strange that Frisky-Manx looks much paler than Naughty-Angora yet when I wear it, Manx matches and looks yellow-toned while Angora tends to be a bit pale and not quite yellow enough. Oh well, I have always found it hard to understand how Meow works!
Garden of Wisdom: My GoW order arrived at my friend in CA a few days after Markey sent it out. He flew to Malaysia on Saturday and I met him on Sunday for tea and to collect the goodies. After he left for his next appointment, I sat in my car and eagerly ripped into the box! I'm a very patient person in real life (honest!) but not when it comes to opening online purchases! And what a beautiful sight were the contents of the box! Adorable bottles and jars in various sizes, all very good quality materials, perfectly packaged and neatly labeled. Yes, it was instant love! My favourites are the Mandelic Acid 10% (5ml) which came in the cutest pump vial and the HA Serum which although is quite viscous, just sinks in instantly the moment I smooth it over my skin! I've never tried anything that absorbs as fast as this so I'm absolutely thrilled. I love how the serum seems to be mattifying, perfect for wearing under MMU. The famous Lemongrass Cleanser is also quite delightful. I'm not sure if its exfoliating properties are a little too much for me and I don't think I can use this everyday. But after emulsifying it with a little water, cleansing my face with it and rinsing, my skin did feel incredibly soft and smooth. Plus the lemongrass scent is so refreshing! The only blot on this otherwise perfect order was that a bottle of camelia oil was accidentally left out! However, Markey being the angel that she is, responded to my email right away and sent a replacement out the very next day. Gotta love customer service like that. I'm already dreaming up a second GoW order. So many other products I just want to try! I've only just started using my products so it's hard to say if any effect is taking place yet. My Mom was also very curious about all the bottles and spray mists and I think I may just convert her to natural products sometime in the future ;)
Lumiere: And finally, what bonafide MMU-addict can resist a good sale? I totally caved the moment I heard about Lumiere's 33% off birthday sale and ordered a whole bunch of things including a travel size VV Med Warm, more samples and a 9-pc brush set. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I hear my bank account screaming now.
Been back in my parent's house the past few days and unable to get online. There was a power failure and then our phone line went down so I can't use the dialup internet. Anyway, I'm still wearing Lumiere VV everytime I need some makeup on which is about once a day. I try to wear the same foundation for long periods too, up till night time. I figured out the right ratio of Med Beige to Med Golden is a 60/40 ratio of Beige/Golden. This matches me to a tee and is really excellent. I haven't worn Med Warm yet because I'm sort of rationing it! If I don't use primer or finishing powder my face does get a little oily after a few hours, but if I use at least a primer or an f/p (currently MMBB Photogenic Veil) then my face barely gets oily at all. I also don't seem to be breaking out from VV which I'm really happy about. I just hope it's not a delayed effect and my skin goes haywire a week from now! Otherwise I just love the texture of this foundation. I also haven't really tested any of my other MMBB blush samples yet simply because I'm still enamoured with MMBB True! I love it as a lippy. It gives me that whole my-lips-but-better effect. Anyway, I think this is all the updates I have and I'll continue with the Veena Velvet experiment. I'm sort of curious to try Med Neutral now after seeing it on geminisc but then again I got such a good match with Med Warm that I wonder if trying Neutral is even necessary.
It's pouring with rain here right now and I don't think I can get to my car without getting soaked, so while waiting for it to let up I figured I'd compose my entry for the day. Today I primed with MMBB Photogenic Veil, used Bright Eyed on undereye and mixed a little with Bisque Concealor to cover blemishes. Then I used a 50/50 mix of Lumiere Medium Beige and Medium Golden in VV but I'm not sure if this ratio is right because the colour still looks a bit off. Or maybe I just haven't given it enough time to warm up yet.
On cheeks I used MMBB True blush which looks like a light-medium toned dusky pink with a slight sheen. It gave my cheeks a very natural glow with a bit of understated yet noticable colour. Very similar to Lumiere Wild Rose except I used less product with MMBB to achieve the same result. I was wondering what to use on my lips and then I decided to see if True would work on lips as well if I used it with lip balm. The effect when mixed with my soft lip balm was incredible because True just transforms to this medium-toned pink shade that is so gorgeous! I am absolutely in love with this cheek and lip combo now! Paired together, True is like the little sister of Fyrinnae Kabuki. While Kabuki is more gothic-lolita sexy, True gives off a very romantic vibe while still managing to look fresh and girlish. I absolutely love True and I think I must have more of this! I can't rave about this colour enough. I didn't use much on my cheeks but I think if I layered a bit more, it would give a more dramatic look that would be ideal for nighttime.
Oh well, I'm starving now and it's still raining. I guess I'll just brave the rain in an effort to find something to eat!
[Updated]: I've been wearing the same makeup for the past 11 hours and I have to say that it held up extremely well. I only had to blot once today but otherwise no major oilies. I guess this could be due to a) the Photogenic Veil, b) the oat extract in the foundation, c) the fact that I didn't do anything streneous today, I think I barely broke a sweat, d) the fact that it rained all day so the weather was much cooler than usual or e) all or a combination of the above. I only added a dusting of face powder in the evening to touch up before I went out again. Also I'm delighted to report that I experienced no new zits today and a zit that was emerging a couple days ago even subsided without coming to a head. So far VV looks quite promising although I wonder if using Photogenic Veil to prime acted like a buffer between my skin and the foundation. Shade-wise the foundation is still a bit off though so I guess I'll have to tweak the ratios a bit more.
In an effort to determine whether Lumiere Veena Velvet foundation is likely to give me zits, I've decided to wear my VV foundation samples everyday until they run out. I figure right now is a pretty good time because most of the zits I have are healing and should be gone in a couple days. So if I get a crop of new ones I'll know to suspect something.
This evening I wore VV Medium Beige with Lumiere Wild Rose blush on cheeks and Lumiere Burnt Sienna blush on lips with lip balm. Medium Beige definitely looks off when I first apply it. My face looked rather pale and a bit ashy but it did start to resemble my skintone more after I'd worn it awhile. Still, it's not a good enough match for me to consider purchasing a fullsize. Wild Rose is an ok blush for me. I think I'd like it more if it were slightly more pigmented. I shook out 2-3 times what I normally use for strongly pigmented blushes but I still got only the faintest hint of colour on my cheeks. It was ok though, because the zits on my cheek are still healing and I don't really want to draw too much attention to them. Wild Rose would probably look awesome on fair to light skinned girls but on medium skin like mine I definitely need blush with a little more oomph. I finished off the look with a light dusting of Revlon Skinlights Natural Light which looks super shimmer-sparkly in the jar but went on surprisingly sheer, enough to give a hint of glow. I swept it over cheekbones first with my EDM baby buki and then lightly ran the brush over my forehead, bridge of nose and chin.
So I guess we'll see if my skin likes VV or hates it. I'm really hoping it's the former. Also in other news, Fyrinnae will be having another sale soon on their liquid eyeliners and silken eyeshadow base just in case anyone is interested :)
Awhile back Sue very kindly sent me some samples of her Lumiere Medium Beige and Medium Warm in the Veena Velvet formula after I lamented that the Goldens were not working for me. I only got around to trying them yesterday and today but I realised that both Beige and Warm are much better shades for me than Golden! In fact I think I may have found my match in Lumiere :) I wore VV Med Beige yesterday morning and was surprised at how peachy it looked in real life. In fact, side by side, Med Beige looks like it has peachy undertones while Med Warm seems to have more yellow undertones. When I first wore Med Beige, it didn't seem to match very well. At first glance it looked ok, but on closer scrutiny I could see some obvious differences between face and neck. There was a very slight peachy-pink cast on my face compared to my more olive-yellow neck. I decided to wear it for a few hours anyway, and lo and behold when I checked back after an hour or so, the colour had warmed to my skin and looked much more natural. A very close match indeed and much better than Med Golden which made me look a bit jaundiced. So I was pretty satisfied with Beige!
This morning I tried on VV Medium Warm and when I looked in the mirror immediately after application, this was definitely the best of the lot! I could hardly tell the difference between face and neck and Med Warm just seemed to look like my own skin! I continued to wear this for the next few hours and expected the colour to deepen (making it potentially unwearable) but I was pleasantly surprised when it didn't seem to change at all. My face still matched beautifully after 3-4 hours and I didn't look off-colour or anything. Yup, I was very excited!! :D I like Lumiere's foundation formula and how velvety it seems to be so I'm really pleased to have found a match with them at last.
I still noticed some oilies after a few hours so I'm beginning to accept the fact that tissue and blotting paper has to be part of my lifestyle. I don't think even primer and finishing powder can control the oil factor. I am a bit concerned about the Veena formula because alot of people claim that it makes them break out :( So far I haven't broken out from Lumiere but then again I've only worn VV for a couple days and for probably less than 6 hours each time. I like the formula for sure but I don't want to invest money in a fullsize only to have it give me pimples after a week! Also, am I crazy for still wanting to sample the other Beige and Warm shades in Medium and Light-Medium in the Flawless and Luminesse formulas? I think I've found a very good match in VV Med Warm but the curious part of my mind wonders if I could find another match in one of the other shades or formulas! I don't know if I can be satisfied until I know for sure :P
I haven't been wearing blush for the past couple days since I have quite a bad breakout on my left cheek and am waiting for the red spots to heal before I go dusting more red pigment on them. Foundation lessens their appearance but doesn't disguise them completely. I also pulled out my old sample of Jenulence Yellow Beige F/P tonight and wore it. Yep, it's still a match :) I'm just waiting for a good sale from Jenulence before I get fullsizes of this and Butternut. Last night I wore the LaurEss Original Creamy Yellow that I bought fullsize from Lili. I think this is only my second time wearing it. The first time if I can recall, I wore it during the day and it was wearable but not really perfect. When I wore it last night however, it did look pretty good. There is something about the yellow in Creamy Yellow that looks different from the other yellow-based foundations I've tried. I think Lili (or was it her bf?) described it as a 'mustard yellow' and I do see a tinge of that when I wear it. Like it has less peach tones. Anyway, I do like it and think it was a good purchase. So thank you Lili and thank you Sue! A mineral makeup addict like me is blessed to have friends like you :)
Yesterday evening I was still wearing the same makeup I wore to get my photo taken and since I had to give the camera back that same night I tried to do one more EOTD. I didn't want to wash all my makeup off just to redo my eyes so I just blotted my lids and put Fyrinnae's Freyr (Rich brown-based plum with a pink shimmer) and Merlot (A very dark burgundy wine shade with a nice shimmer) over the existing layer of Lumiere Earth blush. I don't think it turned out too badly! I'm trying to go through the e/s samples I already have and Freyr and Merlot are both colours I haven't tried. Freyr is a deep fuschia and Merlot I thought was more of a red-black but turned out to be a shimmery dark purple. I was surprised to find it is very similar to TaylorMadeMinerals' Deep Purple (Violet red tinted black with medium purple shimmer).
I foiled both the colours and applied Freyr in the lid area above my pupil. Then Merlot went in the outer V. I don't know why I chose this way of doing it, it was just by instinct? I think I may not have used enough of the pigment because they both went on like a sheer wash instead of a bold strip of colour. I was trying to blend Merlot into Freyr but I think I used a little too much Merlot so when my lid was almost dry I added a little bit more of Freyr, dry and blended the edges like crazy.
I must try to remember to add a bit of highlight to the inner corner - I always forget!
Here's the finished product. It turned out quite interesting considering it was a first attempt and I didn't really know what I would eventually end up with. However, I don't really like wearing pink on my eyes so I don't know if I will do this look again. Merlot can be easily matched with another purple shade, or even something gold and I can probably put it to good use. But Freyr, I'm not so sure. I think Freyr would look great paired with a lighter pink, beige or possibly blue e/s but again I'm not sure if I would wear it because I'm not much of a pink person. It also turns way too dark for me to use as a lip colour, unless I want a goth look. Hopefully I can use it as a blush because like almost all Fyrinnae colours it is beautiful and I wouldn't want it to feel unloved.
Editted to add: I just checked Lili's blog and we posted similar EOTDs at the same time, how creepy is that! :D
A little while back I asked for opinions on what makeup to wear to get a passport-sized photo taken. This was what I eventually came up with. I forgot about the mascara when I took this picture but I did put some on before stepping out. Lumiere Veena Blush in Earth (Earthy brown) not only makes a good blush but it's a very nice eyecolour too. I can see myself reaching for this on days when I don't want to think too much about matching colours and just need a simple neutral. It goes on like a warm brown with a hint of red and a subtle sheen. I think it's a little ironic that in this photo I used a blush as eyeshadow and an eyeshadow as a blush *rolleyes*
I took this picture soon after I did my makeup so the foundation is not the most accurate. It did balance out slightly later on and looking at other photos I took in the evening, still wearing it, it was a match. I guess this one is a keeper! The colour change is very subtle and definitely not as drastic as Neutral Peach. I chose this photo so you can see how much more tan I am in real life. I think the light coming through my window in the late evening is not so accurate because it makes me seem much fairer than I really am.
I got my photos back today and was stunned by them. I know they were going to do some editing and tweaking but seriously, my skin came out looking so smooth! It's not fair, I will never have skin that good in real life! I am happy with the photos, I mean who wouldn't be, I look so beautiful. But knowing my skin will probably never actually look like that is kind of depressing. Gah!
I also had to relinquish the camera I borrowed so I won't be posting too many photos for awhile. I still have one more eye look I did yesterday which I will hopefully get around to posting later.
I got my hands on a camera today so unfortunately you all will have to put up with some of my mugshots.
First was my makeup before going out to lunch. I actually took these photos four hours after I put the makeup on. I used LaurEss Elemental Soft Yellow and added in a pinch of Pure Yellow for good measure. I think I could wear Soft Yellow alone but I didn't have much time to get ready and didn't want to take any chances that it would turn out too light. I love everything about LaurEss Elemental, the texture, the feel, good coverage and I think it's a great match (you be the judge). My only gripe is that it doesn't withstand humidity very well. Within a couple hours my face was all oily. You don't see it in the pictures because I already blotted several times. I think I may have to reserve LaurEss for nighttime use. Or see if primer/finishing powder make any difference.
I tried a little of Lumiere Earth Blush on my eyes. You don't really see it in the picture but that's because I didn't want to look too made up for what was a very casual lunch. I'm thinking it might work for when I get my passport photo taken if I layer it on a bit more. I also tried spritzing with filtered water (it's all I have right now, but I really want some hydrosols!) after I applied the foundation and so far I like the effect.
I met my parents for dinner and decided to do a whole new face of makeup. I figured since I have a camera for the next couple days I should use it for all it's worth! I was running late so I think I did this whole look in like 10 mins, no
time for eyeliner, mascara or even to highlight my browbone. I took this just before 6pm and the sky outside was overcast so I look a bit washed out. I'm really not near as pale in real life as I look in these two pictures! This time I wore Jenulence Yellow Beige F/P and I took this photo very quickly after I put it on so I don't think it has really had enough time to 'meld'. Since I was rushing for time, I chose a foolproof blush - Lumiere Wild Rose (An attractive blend of subtle, burnished pink and rose tones). I used 3-4 sifter holes worth applied with a baby buki and you can still barely see it. Much safer than using a darker blush and risk ending up with clown patches on my cheeks. On lips I used my new favourite 'nude' pigment - Twisted Fayte Spa Day, applied with lip balm. I can't wear real nudes because my lips really need some colour or I look tired. So in real life, Spa Day makes a nice, soft pink that mimics the colour of my lips very well. Too bad TF is no longer in business :(
Finally I wanted to use Fyrinnae Sake & Sashimi again as an eyeshadow instead of eyeliner. I was hunting around for a lighter shadow to go with S&S and found an untouched sample of Meow IdealEyes You Had Me At Meow (Frosty taupe with vintage gold shimmer). Let me just say that YHMAM is beautiful. My photos honestly don't do it justice. Foiling gives it a shiny metallic finish and the end result is a warm, eye-brightening beigey taupe that I think would look good on anyone. S&S also makes the perfect partner for YHMAM. Just a little of it foiled on the outer corners of my eyes makes them look bigger and I swear it gives the effect of me wearing mascara! Side-by-side, YHMAM is the flashier, more attention-getting half of the duo but S&S is the steadfast supporting member that gives the relationship depth and makes YHMAM look better than it would on it's own :)
A couple days ago I decided I should try out my Lumiere foundation samples. I got Light Medium Golden (For light medium skin with golden undertones) in both Veena Velvet and Flawless Finish and Medium Golden (For medium skin with golden undertones) in Veena Velvet. I did a full face using VV Lt-Med Golden first. The texture was lovely, truly velvety and luxurious but the colour was off. I waited, I looked at it from every angle but it was noticably too light and lacking a bit in either yellow or peach. Same thing with the FF. I was kicking myself for not ordering the Luminesse but I didn't know it was the most yellow-toned of the formulas until long after I'd place my order. Oh well.
I tried the VV Med Golden next and this looked like a much better match compared to the Lt-Med Goldens. I looked at all these samples under direct midday sunlight and also indoors and the Med Golden looked the best everytime. I didn't wear it long enough to judge the staying power though.
Fast forward to tonight. I was going out for a quick dinner and decided to do my makeup using all Lumiere. I used my new Lumiere baby kabuki for the first time and I'm sorry Susanna, but I think I'm going to hold on to this one for awhile! :P It works reasonably well despite the size. The Lumiere baby kabuki is really dense and ultra-velvety, in fact I love everything about it except the fact that it is so small. The bristles at their longest are just under 1" and the diameter is 7/8" at the most. Comparing it to my 2006 EDM baby kabuki, the Lumiere brush head is almost half the size of the EDM one! I would hardly call it a baby kabuki but somehow foetus kabuki doesn't sound very appealing. Thankfully what it loses in size it makes up for in sheer silky softness. Now I know what the other ladies mean when they say they could buff their face the whole day with Lumiere brushes.
I got out my Med Golden again and applied one layer after moisturising with emu oil (non-Lumiere). I waited a few minutes and looked in the mirror under flourescent lighting. Right away I could detect a slight greenish-yellow overcast that wasn't there when I tested it during the daytime outdoors. It wasn't good at all, I looked a bit ill. I decided to continue with the rest of my makeup, using Lumiere Burnt Sienna (Shimmery aged brick) as both blush and lip colour in the hopes it would cut the sallowness a little. Burnt Sienna is very shimmery on its own and thus makes a very shimmery bright brick red lip colour. However, used as a blush the shimmer buffs off easily leaving a light coral sheen. It's a beautiful colour but I don't think I like it enough to order it again.
My friends and I ended up eating at a very dimly lit roadside cafe which was fortunate for me because I don't think the off-colour tone in my foundation would have been obvious to anyone. When I got back, an hour or two later I checked my face again under the same lighting and the yellow-greenness seems to have subsided?! I don't know what to make of this. I've heard of tan foundations getting more orangey but never something like this. The jury is still out on VV Med Golden. I think I may hold onto this one to wear during the daytime but for a nighttime event I'll stick to Jenulence for now.
I really like the texture of Lumiere but I wonder if the Goldens are just not for me. I definitely need to sample the warms and beiges before deciding if I should embrace their foundations or write them off. If only the new yellow shades they're supposed to be concocting would be launched soon!
