COMPARISON REVIEW: OLD vs NEW SLEEK "Matte Me Ultra Smooth Matte Lip Cream"

My favorite brand of liquid lipsticks so far is Sleek. Its "Matte Me" line is very good in terms of formulation. 

Just like your average liquid lipstick, it dries down to a completely matte finish and would not transfer off your lips once it sets. it lasts for hours until you eat oily, greasy foods, which will make it fade a bit. When it does happen, you can still reapply the product on top of the remaining parts with no worries of patchiness or uneven texture. But among the other ones I have in my collection, the Matte Me liquid lipstick is NOT DRYING at all, does not settle weirdly on the lip lines, and does not crack throughout the day. Also, it is not a pain to take off using makeup removers (cleansing oil/balm, cleansing water, makeup wipes).

Because it is one of the very few liquid lipsticks in my collection that is very comfortable to wear throughout the day, it has earned a spot in my top shelf of lipstick collection (haha). But I had been a bit disappointed with the fact that they came in only six shades, and most of them are bright, vivid colors that I personally do not prefer wearing. The one that I loved was Birthday Suit, which many bloggers and Youtubers have attested to be a dupe for Kylie Cosmetics' "Candy K" shade of matte lippie. 

However, my concern about their limited shade range was addressed earlier this year with their new shade launches! They added six more color selections to the bunch! What's odd though is that they released as part of their spring/summer collection for 2016 but the shades were not your typical spring or summer palette at all. It was favorable for me still because they are more mauves and purples, and wine colors which I absolutely love.

This is the product information written on the official Sleek website: 

(visit www.sleekmakeup.com)

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PRODUCT INFO:

Matte Me is a matte finish liquid lipstick that glides on in one smooth application, with no need for a second coat.

The light as air texture provides you with comfortable wear for hours, that doesn’t cake, flake or dry out, ensuring long lasting colour all day.

Available in 12 shades.

6ml/0.2fl.oz

Not tested on animals.

INGREDIENTS:

SILICA, BENTONITE, ISODODECANE, CYCLOMETHICONE, POLYCYCLOPENTADIENE, BIS-DIGLYCERYL POLYACYLADIPATE-2, TRIFLUOROPROPYLDIMETHYL/TRIMETHYLSILOXYSILICATE , TOCOPHEROL, PHENOXYETHANOL. MAY CONTAIN: CI 77891, CI 42090, CI 15850, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 19140, CI 45410.

HOW TO USE:

Step One:

Apply with precision using the applicator provided or with your finger tips evenly, layering colour and intensity as you go.

Step Two:

Part your lips, and gently blot using a tissue to remove any excess.

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The Shade Ranges

The shades on the upper left corner are the old releases. The ones at the bottom right 

are the 2016 collection. Photo credit: cdn.pudra.com

The old collection consists of mostly bright and vivid shades perfect for spring and summer. The only ones that are neutral are pastel-y shades still leaning towards spring looks. The new releases are much more muted and therefore more appropriate for the upcoming fall and winter months. 

I thought that they only added new shades to the collection, but I realized that they also made some changes on the old packaging. For this review, I compared my old Matte Me in their bestselling shade, "Birthday Suit," and the new version in my favorite shade among the 2016 launches, "Shabby Chic".

The Label Details

Shabby Chic (new packaging) is the one on the left of both pictures. Birthday Suit (original packaging) is on the right.

The front labels were basically the same, but the back sticker was different. On the original packaging, the ingredients list was the only thing mentioned in the sticker. On the new packaging, there is the bar code, Sleek's slogan, and contact details. Notice the "peel here" portion at the bottom? The ingredients list in the same format as the one in the old packaging was placed underneath the new sticker and can be seen once you peel the layer.

The Applicator Wand

This time, Shabby Chic (new packaging) is the one on the right of all three pictures. Birthday Suit (original packaging) is on the left.

Another noticeable change is the applicator. The old version is a long, flat applicator which is a bit slanted for easier application. This type of wand tip is preferable for those with fuller lips because it can coat the entire width of the lip in one swipe. However, because the end is not tapered, it can be tricky to use in the corners of the lips, making it a bit more challenging to achieve a precise outline. This concern is targeted by the new packaging, which boasts of the tapered, slanted tip. It is now much easier to apply the liquid lippie and get a seamless lip shape. But it was made much smaller than the original wand, making the coat a bit more patchy for those with fuller lips because one swipe is not enough to coat the lips, and in the the process of coating the rest in the second swipe, it can go over the first layer and therefore make the texture a bit uneven. I don't see this being a problem of those with small lips.

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Aside from those two changes, I don't see anymore aspects to which I can compare the old version from the newer one. In the swatches of Birthday Suit and Shabby chic on my hands, the difference in color is really obvious. Birthday Suit is a medium pinkish nude whereas Shabby Chic is more of a muted rosy mauve. However, when I applied them on my lips side-by-side, they  look almost exactly the same. WHAAA?

 On my top lip: Birthday Suit
On my bottom lip: Shabby Chic

Do you see any difference? HAHA

As you can see, the formulation of the lippies are exactly the same. They both performed well in terms of ease of application and even texture. They don't emphasize the lip lines unlike many matte liquid lipsticks I have tried. They don't crack and bleed. They are both long-lasting. In short, they are BOTH AMAZING.

I highly recommend Sleek Matte Me lippies among other brands. These are also very affordable at P450. They can be purchased at Sleek counters in select SM Department Stores Beauty Section nationwide. Why don't you give these a try and let me know what you think about them? Goodluck on your shopping! <3

-Hershie

REVIEW: Snoe's "Snow White Special Black Beauty Bar"

The best time to test out whitening products is the rainy season. You spend your days mostly indoors, and even when you have to go outside, the sun is not glaring at you all throughout the day. (Even so, you should still put on sunscreen when going out as whitening products often make your skin a lot more sensitive/reactive to the UV rays.) 

That is why I decided to try the Snow White Special Black Beauty Bar from the brand Snoe Beauty Cosmetics. I have been a fan of this local brand for years because most of the products that I tried from their skincare line worked well on me. I especially loved their Magic Apple Whitening S-rub because it really made my knees and elbows lighter and smoother when I targeted those areas. (It’s comparable to Asian Secrets Lulur Scrubs). I tried it years ago but I forgot to repurchase it since then so my knees and elbows have gotten darker again (LOL). 

I don't usually prefer whitening skin care products because my skin usually break out from them as my skin is sensitive to some whitening ingredients. One example is kojic acid from which I get rashes and pimples whenever I use soaps with it. With that said, this Snoe "special black" soap will be my first whitening soap after a loooong while. I got this variant over the others from Snoe, because the saleslady said that it is their most potent whitening soap bar within their entire selection and that it works even better than the soap bar from the Magic Apple line.

So what is in this beauty bar that makes it "Special"? This is how Snoe Cosmetics describes the product on their official Shopinas online store:

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SPECIAL BLACK BEAUTY BAR

now P349

Multi-Fruit Acids. EGF Technology. Deoxyarbutin. Tomato.

New, improved version of our best selling beauty bar for luminous skin. Like any magic recipe, Snoe Beauty’s special formulation helps bring out your fairest. This product will effectively help fade dark spots, blemishes, freckles and melasma for renewed clarity and effective hyper pigmentation correction.

Snoe’s Special Black Beauty Bar removes impurities to refine skin tone and promote cell renewal for a complexion with inner radiance. It will remove dead surface cells to boost clarity and luminosity.

photo credit: snoebeauty.shopinas.com

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Its claims are what really prompted me to buy it. My biggest skin problem is uneven skin tone, mainly caused by acne scars on my face and back. I am also bothered with my arms being darker than the rest of my body (due to my being too lazy to put on sunblock everyday HAHA). My knees and elbows are also darker because of friction and lack of moisture (I don't always put on body lotions or creams haha). Needless to say, I have high hopes for this product. Let's see how effective it was on tackling these skin problems of mine.

The saleslady told me (and this is also written on the packaging) that I can also use it for up to three months straight and then I would have to use other gentler soaps for one month before using this again because of how potent the ingredients are in this beauty bar. What I decided to do is use just one bar regardless of how long it would last, given that I would use it on my face and body everyday. This lasted for a little more than a month, so this review is on the performance of this one soap and not the three month prescription. 

I started using this soap last July 9. I followed the instruction that I should lather it on my body and face and leave it on for up to 2 minutes (for best results) before rinsing it off. What I have was put it on my problem areas (arms, elbows, knees, back, face) first so it could sit on my skin longer than the rest of my body. But not one minute has passed and I felt a bit of stinging on the sides of my nose and my eye area, so I immediately rinsed it off my face. I did not experience the stinging on the rest of my body, though. So from then on until I used the soap up, I followed my initial routine except the part where I left it on my face for a minute. 

RESULTS:

I used up practically the entire soap bar last August 16. I am sad to say that the Special Black soap was not able to do much to tackle my uneven skin tone. I focused on whitening my arms compared to the rest of my body, but after using up the soap, I can’t even tell that it had made my arms appear even at least one shade whiter that it was. So on its main purpose of intensive whitening, it sadly disappointed me. :(

Left: July 9, 2016

Right: August 16, 2016

It did, however, make my skin smoother overtime. (Note: I did not change my body care routine during the review period). I think it is because of the other ingredients included in the soap (ie. tomato, etc.). I noticed that lately, my skin has felt so soft and smooth that when I forgot to apply body lotion, my skin wouldn’t get any dry patches at all. I did not expect this result from a whitening soap because I have never experienced that on the other ones I have tried before. On that aspect, I was pleasantly surprised.

Would I repurchase? Maybe, but only because of its smoothing and softening effect on my skin. I do not want to recommend it to those who want to buy this Special Black soap to whiten their skin, but since it is one of the few whitening soaps that did not break me out or dry out my skin, I think it could be good for those with sensitive skin.

photo credit: snoebeauty.com

Perhaps you need to purchase the rest of the products from the Special Black line in order to actually see great results in terms of whitening. Other products from the line include:

1. Special Black Bleaching Body Shampoo = P799

2. Special Black Scrub Mask = P399

3. Special Back Jumpstart Whitening Concentrate= P999

I did not purchase them because they were a bit too pricey for me if I buy them all in one go (huhu). But if you have the budget for it, you might as well include them with your purchase of the Special Black Beauty Bar to optimize the effects of the line. Goodluck on your shopping! <3

-Hershie

REVIEW: DAISO Eye Brow Coat

My mom and I LOVE shopping at Daiso stores because there's practically ~everything~ you can ever need for home and school/office, and even a few random products thrown in as well, all at P88 or below! (Well, except from items under their Saizen sub-brand, which can cost a little over P88.)

One such interesting find is their Eyebrow Coat, which is labelled to be a product of "Everbilena" (yep, I also wonder if if is the same as "Ever Bilena" makeup brand here in the Philippines) and was especially produced for Daiso Japan. It got me intrigued enough to try it out because it promises to keep the brow hairs in place and help your eyebrow makeup last all day - it even claims to make it waterproof!

This is how the product was packaged:

Here are the directions for use, ingredient list, and other information (yey for the English translation!):

PACKAGING

The eyebrow coat comes in a translucent glass container which reminds me of how a nail polish usually packaged. It contains 6ml of clear, slightly thick liquid and an applicator which also looks like a nail polish brush. The first thing I immediately noticed when I twisted the cap was the strong chemical-y smell of the product! If you are sensitive to strong scents, this would be a huge turn-off for you.

APPLICATION

The application is quite easy to follow. Once you put on your eyebrow makeup, just apply the coat  along the shape of your brows with the brush applicator. (Make sure that you remove the excess amount of product from the brush first so the coat won't be too thick. Otherwise it would take a long time to dry.) I used an eyebrow pencil which is not waterproof, smudgeproof, or longlasting, so that I can really test the claims of the Daiso eyebrow coat. My problem is that I had gotten used to spoolies and brow combs that the "nail varnish-looking" brush makes it challenging for me to coat my brows evenly.

RESULTS

This is my eyebrows looked before putting on the coat (I used an eyebrow powder and eyebrow pencil):

This is after:

I noticed that when I applied the eyebrow coat, it sets mostly on my eyebrow hairs and not so much on the eyebrow makeup (maybe because I have thick brows). So I really tried to coat the parts with the eyebrow pencil. This is what happened: the product somehow thinned out the makeup and made it look patchy especially on my sparse areas. I also noticed that when it dried, it made my eyebrows feel and look quite stiff and thick, and worse, glossy. It did not look natural AT ALL.

(On the bright side, it did manage to keep my brows in place until the moment I had to remove my makeup. But it it still obvious that I put something on.)

Needless to say, I am really disappointed in this product. I did not even bother to test out its claims of making my eyebrow makeup waterproof and longer lasting, because the look it gave my brows is enough to make me dislike this item. I do not recommend that you buy this eyebrow coat, but if you really want to try nevertheless, at least it would only cost you P88. I hope that you found this review helpful. Good luck on your shopping! ❤️

- Hershie