Professional Makeup Artist | Organic Chemist | Educator

Wednesday, 30 September 2015

Rimmel London Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipsticks - Review and Swatches


Hey girls! Today I am going to be showing you my collection of Rimmel Kate Moss lasting finish lipsticks, three of which are from their matte collection and one from their regular line. I have had them for quite a while so I have tested them well enough to pen down my thoughts on them.

I have recently discovered that Rimmel is not a cruelty free brand since they started selling in China and animal testing is required there by the law. I personally never recommend such brands even though they are very popular among girls here like Revlon, CoverGirl, L’Oreal, Maybelline, NYC, Almay and Bourjois too unfortunately I just found out. However, this is just my personal opinion and what you buy is your choice.


Product Claims

Kate Moss Lasting Finish Matte Lipsticks
Be Iconic - Make the Ordinary Extraordinary Sumptuously Rich Matte Colour with a sublime comfort. Ruby Powder enriched formula. Intense velvet colour all day!

Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipsticks
The 1st Lipstick collection created by Kate Moss High intensity colour for up to 8 hours. Formula infused with Black Diamonds, reflects light like never before. Captures all the flair, edge and timelessness of Kate’s unique look.


What Do I Think?

Packaging is quite important to me because I always keep lipsticks in my purse for touch-ups. The plastic does not feel cheap and the cap clicks in place securely. The slanted top with the logo on top makes it easier to spot for me. In my opinion a good lipstick should be pigmented, less prone to transferring, long lasting and comfortable to wear. Rimmel Kate Moss lasting finish lipsticks get an A grade in all these departments.

The matte ones (107, 110 and 111) remain intact on my lips even after 7-8 hours in all kinds of weather. If I have an oily meal only then does the product fade from the very center of my bottom lip. The regular shade is 05 and is predictably easier to budge after a meal but its lasting power is still pretty decent around 5-6 hours although it does transfer a bit more than the mattes. The formula of all the shades glides on easily and does not bleed which is essential to me. I don’t feel the need to use a lip liner underneath and they all go perfectly opaque in one swipe. The face swatches are the most accurate I feel.


Shade 05
This is what I would call the “good girl pink”. You know the one we grab every time we want people to think we are mature and sensible for example, in front of professionals, in-laws and "4pm guests". It has a nice amount of warmth to it so it won’t wash you want unless you fall in the chocolate or ebony category. It has a cream finish with a gentle shine.


Shade 107
This is a deep matte Marsala which is quite red but I feel this is more appropriate for evening looks although I have worn it during the day. It is universally flattering but not for the faint of heart.


Shade 110
This is an intense in-your-face coral with more orange than pink. It is very bright and spring-y. It looks beautiful on cool tones and even neutral skin tone but I am not sure how it would appear on warm toned ladies. It is best to swatch such colours before you buy them.


Shade 111 - Kiss of Life
This is the only shade with a proper name and I have been drooling over its online swatches for years. Kiss of Life is a stunning neutral red so coupled with its matte finish, it is a dream come true.


There are not that many shades in the matte range but there are a lot of choices in the regular collection to suit a wide range of skin tones. I know most women think a lipstick should not cost more than PKR 100 but I prefer not to have lead in my lipsticks so I think these offer a good bargain given the quality.

Price

PKR 799 for 4.0g

Availability

You may buy this from your local Rimmel kiosk in all major cities

Pros

Great pigmentation
Lasts quite well
Creamy formula
Sturdy packaging
Affordable
Easily available

Cons

Test on animals when required by law as they sell in China as well.

My Rating

4/5

Have you got any of the shades from the Rimmel Kate Moss collection?

Love,
Sadaf


Disclaimer: This is a personal blog edited by its owners and the opinions expressed here belong solely to its owner's. For questions and queries please email at thepoutpainter@gmail.com
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Saturday, 19 September 2015

11 Things You Did Not Know About Us


Bia of The Beauty Finds tagged us to complete this post where you get a chance to have a sneak peek inside our minds and lives. It’s always fun doing such posts and we hope you guys enjoy them reading as much as we did answering.

Question: If you have an option to wear a certain makeup product/brand PERMANENTLY on your face (without any side effects, of course), what would that be?

Sadaf: It would be a soft face sculpting kit because I think it enhances the natural shape of your bone structure really well without making you look like a fake.

Fizzah: Highlighter that would be for sure! Let me brag a little about myself here. I have somewhat-prominent cheekbones, of course nothing sort of Benedict Cumberbatch’s (Hi Sherlock fans a.k.a Cumberbitches! :-D Yes I am burning in the same agony of wait), but just a little highlight and I get that “sexy” high cheekbone effect which I absolutely love and it wouldn’t hurt me to flaunt it forever. :-D

Question: Which local or international celebrity carries 'your' fashion & beauty style?

Sadaf: I can’t think of any famous celebrity but Keiko Lynn is a blogger I really admire. She loves bright colours and neutrals equally like me. I totally dig her style which revolves around simplicity, cuteness and often, kitties! :D

Fizzah: I am a HUGE fan of neutral eye shadows and I “think” these are the only colours I can do really well with and since Carli Bybel is another beauty blogger/Youtuber who is in love with neutrals as much as I am, I’d pick her.

Question: Share one trait/habit/achievement of yours that you are immensely proud of?

Sadaf: I am really proud of how I let go of my prejudices and judgmental attitude, instilled from birth thanks to our society. Embracing other people’s ideas has actually helped me be a lot less critical of myself. It has brought me a lot of peace and happiness.

Fizzah: *Goes into the self-admiration mode again* I am an all-rounder. Whatever I have decided to do in life, be it Masters in Chemistry, research in Organic Chemistry, a little bit of cooking (without any prior experience), trying my hand on sketching and other artistic work, makeup application or blogging, I think I have done well if not best, considering I am untrained professionally. I am my own competition. As for the trait, I don’t know why but I just cannot think negative of someone. I feel there is always a good reason behind someone’s behavior or choices they make and it would be highly unfair not to give them a second chance, AND I cannot say “no” to my friends when they ask for help. Bragged too much I guess, let’s go to the next question, shall we? :-D

Question: If you could get a chance to meet some historical or family figure in a dream, what would you say/do?

Sadaf: It would have to be my paternal grandfather, who passed away five years before my parents got married. He was an amazing man as confirmed by everyone from the guy with the breakfast deli, who served us a meal for free, to the heads of leading universities. Everywhere I go with my family, we are given so much respect just because we share his blood. I would ask him how he gained such loyalty and reverence.

Fizzah: Difficult to say, but that would be my maternal grandfather. He died when my mother was a teenager. I have heard a lot about him and his patience and love not only with people but his pets as well. I would just like to see how he was in real life.

Question: If you could eliminate a certain beauty habit or trend from the world, what would that be?

Sadaf: There are actually two, which I believe are destroying the diversity and natural beauty Nature gifted us. Firstly the strong contouring because all we can see is brown and white so the person disappears. Secondly, over drawn lips! There is a difference between balancing out your lips and completely changing their shape. That shape was not meant for you so now you look like a cosmetic surgery gone bad. These two things make everyone look the same and will be the death of beauty I feel.

Fizzah: I second Sadaf here. Every now and then I go through my Instagram feed all I see is plastic-y faces with similar contour and overdrawn lips. To be honest, I just un-followed a very famous beauty celebrity’s accounts on Instagram for similar reasons (I wouldn’t name her :-D) On the contrary, I love Wayne Goss for encouraging his followers to embrace their gifted beauty.

Question: What beauty product never worked for you, yet everybody else raves about it?

Sadaf: Garnier BB crème is just not for me. When you cannot find your shade, there is no point to a base. Also, it was hard to blend. I could only use it as a concealer sometimes because it was lighter and stayed put.   

Fizzah: Again I would second Sadaf, people have been raving a lot about Garnier BB cream as well as the Pond’s one. I didn’t like either of them.

Question: What is the cheapest Holy Grail product of yours?

Sadaf: That would be my Essence white kajal pencil which costs only 180 PKR. I use it to highlight my inner corner and brow bone. It also works well as an eye base for lighter colours. The texture is just perfect and I don’t think I will find a replacement this cheap.

Fizzah: The cheapest product I have in my stash that I use in almost every look I do is the Essence Black Kohl pencil.

Question: What beauty habit of your mother/grandmother have been passed on to you?

Sadaf: My mother never skips mascara and neither do I.

Fizzah: Sadly, my mother was never, and is still not, among the women who are into makeup. I have never seen her much drawn towards makeup or anything related. I, however, am a totally different case and would leave a lot of beauty habits for my children :-D

Question: What career or life aspirations from your childhood were so absurd that you laugh on them now?

Sadaf: I wanted to be a teacher. That is the shortest joke ever considering the state of teachers in our country.

Fizzah: Now when this is asked, I realize I never had any career goals in childhood. Oops! :-D Like I said before, I have always been good at everything I have done and this has always left me confused about my career choices. I think I am still going through self-exploration and my newfound love and skill is makeup. :-D

Question: What the best/most favorite act of charity for you?

Sadaf: Greeting people who have been hateful and cruel to you and the ones you love. I just do not have the ability to clamp down my anger and forgive such poor excuses for human beings.

Fizzah: Being available for people I love without asking/expecting something in return.

Question: What is the dark-side of beauty blogging?

Sadaf: I think constant exposure to the unfair judgment and cruel criticism from the public and members of the beauty community wears a person down like nothing else.

Fizzah: People think you get products/favours/publicity without doing much and anybody can do it (what’s so special about it, huh?). Well yes anybody can blog but it really takes hard work, time and dedication to get your work recognized. I think people can try and be a little more appreciative.

That’s all from our side.

We would like to tag Jadirah Sarmad of Jasmine CatchesButterflies, Wajiha Ahmed of TheFashion Files by Wajiha, Anila Ali of Ana Loves and Shinaaya Naya of Intensify Beauty Blog for the post.

Here are questions for you guys from our side:

1. Which mythical/ supernatural creature do you relate to the most and why?
2. What is the one quality in your opinion that makes you strong as a person and a blogger?
3. Which beauty product do you think is the most overrated among beauty bloggers?
4. What has been the biggest challenge in your personal/blogging life and how did you overcome it?
5. Tell us about your worst experience with a brand or PR company?
6. Who is the one person/celebrity in your opinion who is in dire need of a makeover? What would you do their makeover?
7. What is your fondest childhood memory and which is the most embarrassing?
8. What would you say to beauty bloggers and Youtubers who do paid dishonest reviews?
9. Everyone has weak moments. Have you ever thought of giving up blogging? If yes, what was your reason and how did you cope with it?
10. What is the most daring makeup look you have done to date for an event?
11. Which past fashion trend makes you cringe when you look back at old photos?

We look forward to reading your answers.

Love,

Fizzah and Sadaf

Disclaimer: This is a personal blog edited by its owners and the opinions expressed here belong solely to its owner's. For questions and queries please email at thepoutpainter@gmail.com
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Saturday, 12 September 2015

BH Sculpt & Blend 10 Piece Brush Set – Review


When I started practicing makeup a few years back I realised how important it is to use good tools. I would go to the market with my mother and search every shop for the makeup brushes similar to the ones I had seen Youtube Gurus use in their tutorials. As a result of my search, I ended up advising shopkeepers to bring better stuff instead of purchasing anything from them. I spotted BH cosmetics Wild Purple Brush Set on Just4girls one day and since it was on sale I decided to give it a shot. They looked pretty good and similar to what I have been looking for. That was the first ever brush set I owned and had a love-hate relationship with it. Although the bigger face brushes were quite good, the rest of them left me frustrated partly because I was still bad at makeup application and partly because the brushes were not behaving like I had expected.

I lacked good brushes for quite some time especially for cream products. BH Sculpt & Blend Set was purchased after a lot of research because I was not sure if I should take a second chance with BH brushes (I had already tried Sigma brushes by then and had decided to purchase their face brushes as well). The set came on sale and I gave it a go.

Product Description

BH Cosmetics 10-piece Sculpt and Blend Brush Set is the ultimate toolkit for foolproof contouring, shading and illuminating your features. The elegant black and gold, dual-fiber collection — specially crafted for applying liquids, creams and powders — includes five face brushes and five  detailing brushes, making it easy to define your jawline, slim your nose, and create killer cheekbones, as well as highlight around eyes, fake fuller lips, and blend for a soft, seamless look.
  • Cruelty Free Synthetic Brushes
  • High-quality
  • Easy to Clean
  • High Functionality



What Do I Think?

The brushes set came in a clear plastic zipper bag. Comparing with the previous BH set I owned, I was pleasantly surprised with the quality. They feature matte black handles with gold ferrules which look chic and the dual-fibre heads are thicker than I had anticipated. I have a very sensitive skin which tickles even at the touch of my own hair! Considering that and my experience with some of the brushes from the previous BH Brush Set (I only use the bigger brushes from that set now), this one was a pleasant surprise! The brushes felt amazingly soft against my skin. I own a Sigma F8- Flat Kabuki which is similar in shape to the Flat Kabuki brush from BH Sculpt and Blend Set, I swirled both the brushes on my cheeks with my eyes closed and tried spotting a difference. None. They felt exactly the same!

I have washed these quite a few times now and except for a few splay hair in flat and angled kabuki brushes, I did not observe any shedding or change of shape. The thicker brushes needed two-three washes to get rid of any traces of product that would have gathered and dried inside. I did not face difficulty in application and blending of cream as well as powder products with these brushes except for one thing, the smaller brushes are too small for my liking to blend concealer in the under eye area. Instead, I use those to stipple product, conceal imperfections on the rest of my face; and also for nose and cheek bone contouring and highlighting. If you wish to place powder products on specific areas of your face with the bigger brushes of this set (such as blush application), considering they are compact and thick, I’d suggest you begin with very little product as these tend to pick up more powder product than necessary. This does not happen with cream products though.

I didn’t know it when I purchased this set but all the brushes in BH Sculpt and Blend Set are similar to Sigma Essential Kit 10 Brushes!

(Similar to Sigma F80 - Flat Kabuki)

(Similar to Sigma F82 - Round Kabuki)

(Similar to Sigma F84 - Angled Kabuki)

(Similar to Sigma F88 - Flat Angled Kabuki)

(Similar to Sigma F86 - Tapered Kabuki)

(Similar to Sigma P80 - Precision Flat)

(Similar to Sigma P82 - Precision Round)

(Similar to Sigma P84 - Precision Angled)

(Similar to Sigma P88 - Precision Flat Angled)

(Similar to Sigma P86 - Precision Tapered)

Here, I have compared only Sigma F80 and BH Flat Kabuki since that is only what I had.



Points of difference: Sigma F80 is heavier than BH Flat Kabuki and thicker as well. F80 washes much more easily compared to BH one and has not stained once.

Points of similarity: They feel EXACTLY the same against my skin. I judged both of these critically and wished I may find something to put F80 above BH Flat Kabuki in terms of performance but good news is I couldn’t, both functioned exactly the same.

I cannot say if the rest of BH Sculpt and Blend brushes are dupes for Sigma ones but I can say that they must be very close in performance to Sigma ones. If you are on a budget and cannot afford Sigma, get this set. It's a great steal!

Price

Original Price: $30.00
Sale Price: $20.00

Availability

Online at BH Cosmetics

Pros

No shedding
Easy to wash
Soft bristles
Travel-friendly packaging

Cons

Splaying of hair in smaller brushes after first wash
Few of them got stained

My Rating

3.7/5

Have you tried any brushes from BH Cosmetics? How was your experience?

Love,
Fizzah

Disclaimer: This is a personal blog edited by its owners and the opinions expressed here belong solely to its owner's. For questions and queries please email at thepoutpainter@gmail.com
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