Cardcaptor Sakura Hairdryer~ Review

Earlier this summer I purchased the Cardcaptor hairdryer by Super Groupies, which is a Japanese company that specializes in making anime fashion merchandise like luggage, high heels and also hairdryers.

I have never really needed a hairdryer since I tend to air dry my hair, but this summer I had multiple times I washed my hair a bit to late and was mourning the fact that I didn’t own one. Also, I was styling my Halloween wig and needed a hairdryer to set some pieces, so it was the perfect time to look into purchasing one.

While looking around I saw that there was a Cardcaptor hairdryer now on the market, so I contacted a  Japanese buyer to purchase one for me. [as of writing this blog post I’ve found multiple sellers online and on eBay but there’s also a huge influx of knock offs so purchase with your own discretion] 

The hairdryer came as one complete piece packed nicely in a cute themed box. It has the ability to fold in half into a compact size for storage or travel. As a whole, it’s incredibly sturdy and well structured. The wings feel very secure on the unit, with no flex. The hairdryer’s head, though clear, has no issues with overheating and is also firmly attached to the casing. Which I did honestly have slight doubts about for some reason, but thankfully those doubts were unfounded.

The hairdryer has 3 settings; Cool, Haircare, and Quick Dry. Cool and Haircare both operate on a medium air pressure while Quick dry has the faster air speed. Cool, as it implies, is just cool air which is what I use for my own hair and I’ve had no issues with additional hair damage. Haircare is a low heat setting at 50 °C that I’ve actually used for multiple things like helping to dry some paint, for different art projects, and most recently my Succubus horns! The Quick dry setting is the highest heat setting at 60 °C with the addition of a faster air speed, which I’ve only used on my wig project to help melt the plastic hairs a bit to set the style. It really works wonderfully for every task I’ve used it for. Which makes it a nice basic hairdryer. No over heating, easy to control and operate, and a nice air flow.

The details of the hairdryer are really the biggest draw to the unit and the reason I decided to purchase it. I may not be that vocal about it but I adore Cardcaptor Sakura, it was one of the shows I grew up watching so I definitely look back on it fondly and enjoy the aesthetic of it’s merchandise. The attention to the details and contours of the hairdryer is really quite lovely in person. The main pink colour is a nice semi matte pink and the head has beautiful metallic detailing. The bottom of the hairdryer also has a slight gem like connection to the plug, which needs 100 V 50/60 Hz and can fit into a standard US plug. 

Is it the best hairdryer on the market, I highly doubt it, but it does what it’s intended to do. So, it is what it is. A nice good hairdryer with a cool, low and high setting. The main advantage is that it’s so cute and definity a nice addition for someone that may enjoy the Cardcaptors aesthetic as much as I do. I definitely feel like a magical girl when I pull it out of my hairtools drawer, hehe!

Do you own any niche merchandise? Its actually my first time purchasing something not Disney related but I have such a soft spot for nostalgia related items!

<3CarisseIris

What's in my bag!

 I feel like this post has been a long time coming since my last one was 4 years ago! ~ 

What's in my bag, 2017!

So, to start off, my main bag is a Liz Lisa three-way bag which I just keep in backpack form. I get a lot of wear out of it as it fits SO much stuff and has lots of pockets for organizing too. It's really become one of my favourite purses I've had over the years.

My second bag I will go though is my 'tech' bag, which is a slightly older Liz Lisa clutch, that fits my tablet and can also fit into my purse if need be.

Sitting at the top of my bag is my 500 ml bkr water bottle, which is actually one of the staple items I take everywhere. I have a few of their bottles that I take out on rotation, but this week it's the Rose Gold Tutu from their 500 collection which has 500 Swarovski crystals n the cap of the bottle. It's super sparkly and looks quite cute. I like bringing along water bottles because it helps me drink water more often than I used too;;

I also always carry my wallets. One is Ted Baker and the other is a Liz Lisa pass holder that I use for convenience~ I have two so I can switch bags easily and be able to just grab my license and debit card without much fuss or thought when I need to.

The next section of items from my purse are items I find important but not really staple for everyday. Included in that would be; My key chain that holds my car keys, my bike lock and a mini tactical knife. A reusable tote bag as my city charges an extra cost per bag when shopping, so, I always carry my own to save money. I always have my favourite pen on hand that is customized to have cute colours, pink, magenta, and a dark purple. Then, so I can access my schedule and my to do lists, I always try to bring along my planner. I like to physically write out the things I need to do or to remember so having it on hand is extremely helpful to me. I also like to have tissues as I am prone to bad allergies and extremely teary eyes so if I'm without a tissue, I look like I'm miserable.

Something that was also in my bag was my Censi cat ear headphones. I don't always bring them in my purse, but when I know I will be studying , will go to the gym, or will be out alone, I have them with me. The headphones are not just cute and pink but they're Bluetooth enabled, waterproof, and has detachable cat ears~ I tend to never have the cat ears on unless it's for photos, but I appreciate the option.

I don't quite keep track of what other items I carry with me besides my staples, so the remaining clutter was a mixed bag of surprises. I don't even know why I have an 'L' wrench, a vacuum hose attachment or measuring tape in all honesty, oops!
Besides the oddities, I have a mirror compact that I bought when I saw the Anastasia musical, a fringe roller, EOS lip balm, hair tie and a spare hair bow.

A constant, but overlooked, bag companion I have are emergency supplies. I have feminine sanitary products, Benedryl, alcohol pads, band-aids and lash glue. Nothing super exciting but it's nice to have on hand just in case I or someone nearby may need something.

The last items in my purse are doubles of my favourite cosmetics; I have a travel size Tatcha facial spray for refreshing my skin or my makeup, it's actually my favourite setting spray and makes my makeup look beautifully dewy. I bring along a YSL tint-in-oil, I Rose You, that is a beautiful rosey tint/gloss and works quite lovely as a subtle blush in a pinch. I also bring my YSL tint-in-balm, Dream in Nude, because it is the the best 'my lips but better' shade on me and it's super moisturizing, and I like having it on hand if need be. Then I have a roll on version of my signature perfume which is Dolce&Gabbana's Pour Femme.

Funnily enough with all that's in my bag, it doesn't look stuffed. Though, I definitely took this opportunity to take out some clutter, haha;;  

Now onto my 'tech' bag! Which is something new for me to carry with me, but it's a necessity for being able to study on the go~

I do want to take a moment to show off my cute Little Mermaid charm on my bag. I love it so much.

I have a good assortment of stuff in my bag, and all of it fits comfortably in the clutch which was totaly a happy accident!

The main item I carry is my iPad Pro and Apple Pencil. My iPad is housed in a keyboard case which I think is 'ieGrow'? I bought it off ebay and it wasn't labeled... Either way it's Bluetooth enabled and works just fine at making my iPad more convenient to type on. Also, the keys glow pink, so I can't complain. 

The smaller items I carry in the bag are; A Mophie powerstation xxl which is a portable battery pack that can charge up to three device at once and lasts for hours! A spare wall charger if by luck I am by a wall outlet. Then I bring along a cables for my battery/headphones/tablet case, my iPad/Pencil and a cable to charge my phone. Basically, I'm ready for anything.

I like to keep my 'tech' bag as uncluttered as possible to keep it light and well organized so it's not a hassle to bring wherever I need to be.

I hope this was moderately interesting to read over, but it also leaves me curious to what my readers take along in their bags as an everyday staple?

-CarisseIris

Urban Decay Naked Skin Glow, Cushion Foundation~ Review

 SO, if you haven't heard, Urban Decay released a cushion foundation!
(or at least in select countries in Asia as of right now, 2017) 

Those who may be familiar with my blog, I love my Urban Decay Naked foundation and have used it in most of my makeup tutorials~ So of course, I was absolutely thrilled when I read that Urban Decay was releasing this cushion option into their line! Especially, since as of recently, I've been quite a fan of cushion foundations.

The line comes equipped with a pretty sizable amount of shades (at least for an Asian cushion line). I believe there are 6 options in total for light to medium skin tones but all with varied undertones; olive, neutral, and ruddy~ I quite enjoy that they have the multiple options since most cushions tend to be more on the neutral side and sometimes cast as grey on me. The shade I chose was 2.75 which is a golden undertone light/medium shade in the line, which, for comparison, I am a 3.0 in Urban Decay's Naked Skin line. The undertone match is pretty close to mine and just a hair lighter in shade than my skin which isn't even noticeable since it does match my neck and chest.

According to the packaging, the product boasts that it will deliver a flawless and luminous 'naked glow' that is buildable and will keep skin hydrated for 18++ hours with the addition of a SPF 50+ PA+++.  It also contains added skin benefits like most other cushion foundations including; Rose centifolia extract, for toning and firming, Gentian root extract, the provides skin soothing, and peppermint extract, which conditions the skin. 

I do have a slight grievance, in that one must purchase the compact and the refill, separately, in order to make a complete set, which is a bit frustrating since the cost does add up. I paid roughly $20 for the compact and $40 for the foundation itself not adding shipping/shopping service fee. I do own more expensive cushions but I guess I feel less taken advantage of since those come as a complete set with refills usually available for purchase direct from the brands.

The packaging  on the compact is a beautiful iridescent cover which looks amazing on my vanity and a metallic lavender case. The pouf is decent... Nothing special about it, I don't find it amazing and I could easily interchange it with say my Etude House pouf and I wouldn't be able to tell a difference with application. I do like the closure of the cushion since I can feel it lock into place and I'm not just applying a ton of pressure onto my cover to ensure I have a solid seal on my foundation so it wont dry out.

Taking a look at the cushion, it's actually my first air/mesh style in my collection which is a change. In all honesty, I don't quite get the mesh style cushion but from what I do understand, it helps control the amount of product used and apparently is more sanitary? Regardless, it seems to work just the same as my normal cushions. The constancy of the foundation isn't that runny, if anything I'd almost describe it as a gel or jelly texture and when applied feels a bit tacky. The formula has no strong scent which is nice, but I do tend to enjoy when cushion foundations smell medicinal or herbal but the lack of a scent isn't a make or break issue with me.

Application of the formula is where the problems become quite apparent. Above, is a photo of just the foundation itself. 

So the foundation starts off okay on the first pounce, but once I started blending it into my skin, it would stick to any uneven surfaces which I have quite a few such as excema spots and I was having a couple breakouts this time of month too. Also, a bit of an overshare, but I did pick at a spot ( or 2) and the application of foundation on the scab was HORRENDOUS, the foundation caked into my fine lines and any small crevices on my face and just sunk into my pores and made them look even more noticeable.

Besides the textured skin issue, I found that it could barely cover my hyperpigmentation spots nor give any semblance of an even skin tone. I tend to have sallow skin near the corners of my lips and under my eyes and all my foundations have been able to even them out but not with this one!

The foundation says buildable but I found that it 'built up' and accentuated the patchiness, and even started to look a bit chalky. By the time I decided to just let it rest, the ending result left my skin in a state of disarray! Even the dry down texture was so sticky and made my skin feel so oily, which is quite odd because I have normal/combo skin that doesn't ever tend to feel immediately greasy upon initial foundation application. Moreso, the end result was quite matte which belied the sensation on my skin.

To salvage the look of my skin, it became a test on how much work my concealer could do. Then to make my skin feel less gummy I set my makeup with translucent powder which I don't usually tend to do with cushion foundations because the main point of them, or at least the reason why I prefer them, is to retain a natural dewy sheen to my skin. So, the point to even wearing this foundation was moot.

If I were to say a positive, it did even out the colour of my skin, if anything. Any redness I had was covered, so if anyone has super clear and smooth skin and only had issues of red spots of slight discolourations, maybe it could work for them..

I  really do have to share this photo immediately after the initial application photo. This was taken 4 hours after I finished my makeup and all I did was shoot this review, put away my lighting, and do some laundry. So, nothing too strenuous nor anything that would make me sweat excessively. Again, I'm not even excessively oily, but the foundation separated so extremely and so quickly! I've never ever had a foundation do that and I've put many of my foundations though the test though spin classes, hot yoga, going swimming and I've had a few patches but never such a noticeable break down of the formula on my skin. Even with setting powder and even my Ben Nye setting spray which I've used on stage/musical performances, though gym sessions and even to waterproof my makeup it couldn't even hold this together, which is maybe even a bit amazing. Really though, my skin looked and felt so oily and caked that I couldn't stand it.

I actually gave this foundation a chance! I used it for a whole week, and just barely pushed it by only wearing it for maybe an hour or two while out each time. So, shooting this tutorial was the longest I have warn it during a day. First day I used it was for dinner on my birthday and even just approaching my mum in low natural light she remarked on how bad my foundation looked, 'You're trying a new foundation aren't you, it looks horrible!' was pretty much an exact quote from her. Even my friend said it looked a bit patchy when I asked her opinion.

I mean, even with my lightly edited shots and from afar in the above pictures, you can see texture a pretty uneven finish with dark sallow patches!

Never have I given such a scathing review on my blog, but it's hard to give even a neutral opinion when I absolutely loathed a product as much as this, which is a shame because of all the makeup products that debuted this year this was the one I was so excited about and one I bullheadedly went out of my way to obtain as soon as I could after it's launch. So, it was quite disheartening that it failed in all aspects for me.

Would I recommend the foundation? Not unless one had almost perfect skin, or if someone wants to blow their money to just add it to their makeup collection. Otherwise, I'd say to stay clear of it.

Hopefully if it does release state-side, here in the US, they will fix the formula, but as it stands, two thumbs WAY down on this foundation.

<3CarisseIris

Doe Eyed Vixen~ Tutorial

So, sometime this summer I figured out a way to erase years off my face, and make heavy makeup look less intense. The result ended up looking somewhere in between innocent and a bit sultry..

Main products I used:

Etude House, Personal Color Palette, Warm Tone Eyes
Jill Stuart duo, 107, In Love with Love
PeriPera Ink Color Cara Mascara, in Dry Rose
YSL Touche Eclat Glow Shot, Sunset
YSL Glossy Stain, 220
YSL Volupte Tint-in-Oil, Love Me Nude 11

The most used and loved palette I have right now is my Etude House Warm palette~ it's good mix of sheer shades that are build-able and easily blend-able! It's not very suited for those who don't like sheer/natural eye shadows that tend to be found in a good amount of Asian cosmetics, but I find I enjoy the look of them a lot! It fits the soft, romantic, effortless, eye look I want to have.

The shades used are:

W1, Honey Milk - matte warm taupe

W6, Spangle - chunky glitter beige

W8, Dull Espresso - matte deep brown

W11, Toasted Pecan - matte peach taupe

W13, Cream Tea - cream shimmer

The main focus of the look is the eyes~  The look is a large and rounded 'doe' eye, but with a sultrier appeal to them. 

I started with a clean lid, and primed my eyes with the cream shadow of the Jill Stuart duo.

1. Crease: Taking 'W1', the lightest contour colour, blend it in a windshield motion along the eyelid crease. This will serve as a way deepen the depth of the eyes and as a way to create a more seamless and blended eye.

2. Inner + outer corner: Using a mid tone matte first, for me that was 'W11', and blend a bit of shadow onto the inner eye lid and outer crease to further deepen the contours of the eyes. This will create a rounder eye shape. If you want to enhance this shape even more and amp up the sultriness, take a deep brown shade, 'W8', and blend the deeper colour onto the outer corner of the eyelid. 

3. Eyelid: I take an eye shadow that is lighter than my skin tone and will catch the light nicely 'W6' and load it onto my fingertip [usually my ring finder of my non-dominant hand, as it's the most gentle finger to use around the eyes] and tap it right into the center of my eyelid. This serves a a highlight to further the perspective of an rounder eye shape and really deepen the contours created in the steps prior.

4. Lash line:  Using the deep brown eye shadow, 'W8', and a smaller brush or applicator, smudge the shade along the lash line to give the appearance of natural shadows from your eyelashes and to create the look of a thicker lash line and to add a smokiness to the look.

5. Eye bag: Instead of smoking out the lower lash line I used the middle shade contour shadow, 'W11' to again intensify the 'doe eye' look. I blend the shadow along the natural crease under the eye. This will add the illusion of larger eyes by adding a few millimeters to the eye area not to mention giving more space vertically on the face to the eye area. 

6. Under eye: I use a light shimmer, 'W13', to finish off the eye shadow portion of the look. It adds a  3D volume to the lower lash line to make the contour look more believable. It also makes the eyes look a bit puffier which gives a fragility to the look.

The next trick is lightening the lashes. It sounds a bit counter productive, but it is the highlight to the look and what actually captures peoples attention (especially in person), and lessens the heaviness of the eye makeup.

The shade I chose is the shade of my hair colour/ lighter than my natural lashes.

To further bring the look together and make the lashes look cohesive, I use the mascara to line my lashes. I use an angled eyeliner brush and use the mascara like a gel liner to give myself a very straight winged eyeliner, lacking the classic flick of a cat eye.

Like all my looks, I add top and bottom lashes! Ill be 100% real, I don't love these lashes at all but they were the only light brown shade top and bottom lashes that I found locally and looked pretty decent. I would probably recommend looking around on Amazon or eBay for nicer ones.

You could probably get a similar look by  very carefully prepping and colouring normal (black) false lashes with the coloured mascara.

It's hard to show the true colour of the lashes, so here's a photo from my phone in direct sunlight.

I finish everything up with a bit of YSL Glossy Stain, 220 to the apples of my cheeks and my lips for a natural flush of colour, a touch of YSL Touche Eclat Glow Shot on the high points of my cheeks for a slight glow, and YSL Volupte Tint-in-Oil to serve as a lip gloss.

Then, that's it!

A very contradictory look. Or what I like to envision it as an innocent look with a mysterious undercurrent~

<3CarisseIris

Fenty Cushion Foundation~ DIY Cushion Foundation (I'm back!)

 Well, hello again my lovelies! It's been longer than awhile hasn't it~ and I promise I'll update you on my life and my future aspirations and goals for myself and my blog! All in due time! Right now I am back and here with a proper DIY and also slightly review the new Fenty foundation which is now in makeup collection.

I'm sure everyone online or attached to their phone is aware of the recent Fenty makeup line launch, so I don't think I need to go into detail of the new line. I was definitely drawn to investing in a few pieces and am happy with my purchases, which include; two contours, two concealers, one cream highlight, and the foundation. The foundation is the only product that I love and yet also wish was a bit kinder to my skin. The shade, 190, is the best matching foundation I have found for my skintone to date which is exciting, but the only issue is the super matte formula and how it sits on my skin. My skin is combo with the tendency to rough patches due to excema. So, no matter how I worked the foundation, it liked to exaggerate my dry areas. So, I had a thought~ Why not try mixing the foundation and at the same time turn it into my favourite type of foundation, cushion!

This past year, I've been loving how cushion foundations have been applying onto my skin, they minimize my pores and give me nice even coverage while letting my skin look like my skin and gives it a very natural dewey-ness that looks fresh and effortless. Oh, not to mention how they're usually have nice additives to enhance your skin!

Products you will need:

Foundation of your choice, mine as titled, will be the Fenty 190 foundation

Serum
Ampoule
[optional] cream/liquid highlight

Additional items:
Cushion foundation compact [mine I bought from amazon]
Tweezers
Bowl
Spatula or spoon
[optional] extra cushion puffs

Let's get started!

 First step will be to mix up your foundation to your liking! This may take some trial and error, but hopefully I experimented enough to take out some of the guess work in this process. I did actually buy an extra foundation in case my experimenting was disastrous... So after some bad batches the recipe I ended up liking was more diluted than I expected it to be~

 As pictured, I ended up using 40 pumps of foundation, 10 pumps of serum, 4 full 'pumps' (dropper worth) of ampoule.
Which sounds like a lot, so I broke it down to:
Every 10 pumps of foundation it would be 4 pumps of serum and one full 'pump' of ampoule.
Or:
2:1 ratio of foundation to skin treatment
Optional, I also added a pea size amount of cream highlighter to add a light dewy sheen of the foundation.

 The next step will be to gently remove the sponge inside the cushion compact with the tweezers, to make sure you don't introduce extra bacteria into your foundation.
Upon removal, pour most of your foundation mix into your compact, then drop the sponge into the bowl and squish it around to absorb some of the remaining product into it.
When you've squished enough foundation into your sponge, pick it up with your tweezers and place it back into your compact and press the sponge down and squish in some more of the product placed inside it until your sponge is nice and product laden.

If you have a bit of overflow, you can easily clean it up with a napkin of q-tip.

 Then, that's it! A DIY cushion foundation~ Or, in my case, a Fenty cushion foundation.

 My cushion foundation has a light weight feel coming from the foundation it's self, the coverage is light to medium but it is definitely build-able. The dry down texture lays somewhere between semi-matte and dewy. It has a light sheen to it, but I wouldn't go far enough to say it is actually dewy.
The added bonus is it doesn't settle into my dry patches and it looks even more like my natural skin but just vastly improved!

Pictured above is my end product without any setting powder or concealer~ It looks quite nice on it's own for those no-makeup, makeup days. But with a full look, it really just looks like how I envision my ideal foundation!

I really couldn't be happier with how it turned out~ Hair flip  ♡

So, yeah! It's definitely been a long while, but I hope this has been of some use, or could bring some inspiration on how to work with a foundation product that is just short of perfect for your skin!

<3CarisseIris