Review - Cosmagic Sweet Deco Cheek in peach pink with swatches

Hey Lovelies!

I hope everybody has been having a great new year so far! It tends to be relatively busy during the first month of the year at work, so I have been putting in extra hours every week to keep afloat. -_-

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That being said, I am glad to be back with reviews aplenty! Today, I'll be reviewing Kose's Cosmagic Sweet Deco Cheek in 02 or pink peach.

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Backside:

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The packaging is super cute as expected - just check out the built-in adorable plastic jeweled heart!

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The lid is cut like a giant diamond and screws off easily. So princess-y!!!

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The set contains a minuscule blush brush which feels soft but doesn't serve any real purpose. Perhaps it might be good for contouring? There really is no place in the blush packaging itself that holds the brush securely so I stuffed it into my knick-knacks box where it will probably remain.

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...Finally, a big dandelion-like puffball on a stick...

...Much like the Puffy bird on my windowsill :) ...

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If you open up the inner insert, there are some instructions on how to use the blush to achieve different looks...

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The blush itself in different lighting. The heart-shaped area is a shimmery coral cream blush, and the lower two compartments house a peachy-pink blush with golden shimmer and a lighter pink highlighter.

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*Swatches* With an without flash

The cream blush reminds me a lot of NARS "Torrid" while the darker blush shade reminds me of a pinkier NARS "Orgasm"! Needless to say, very pretty colors and universally flattering IMO! I was surprised that the blush wasn't super shimmery and if used with a light hand, you could wear this to work on a Summer's day.

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The other color is perhaps the more popular blush of the two - 01 in Strawberry pink. I can see the strawberry color looking great on fair-skinned beauties, but I am willing to give it a a whirl in the future sometime!

Price is $145 HK dollars or around $18.61 USD at Adambeauty.com
(Both colors are in-stock)

Overall

Pros
♥ Pigmented and pretty color
♥ Lovely packaging
♥ 3-in-1 blush - versatile!
♥ Extras = 2 freebie brushes
♥ Universally flattering colors

Cons

♥ Must be used with a light hand otherwise can be too shimmery/bright
♥ Hard to find - overseas orders or e-bay


Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ (4.5/5)

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My LOTD

...Some randomness from this past week...

Wore my H&M sweater dress with leggings and F21 "Love" necklace





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I wanted to share the beautiful Hello Kitty purse from Loungefly that I won as a giveaway prize from the ever-sweet RINA!

Super cute dustbag



The pattern is crazy kawaii with bows & hello kitty's face printed all over



The details on the purse are amazing! Even the hardware is Hello-Kittied out!



Delicious hot-pink lining



Thank you so much Rina! Your gift really made my month! :)




Giveaway, reviews and more coming soon!

♥ Irene

Photoshoot + love!

Hi beauties! Just thought I would share some pics from a previous photoshoot with Christine Chang aka CC of Christine Chang Photography!

I absolutely LOVE her work - she does lots and lots of weddings & events and shot everything from rich kiddies b-day parties to Nick Lachey's Halloween party this past year! (Lucky girl! Always rubbing shoulders with the stars hehe) She also shot my sister's wedding in Boston last June ~ the pictures turned out so beautifully that I asked if she would partake in a mini-session with me during my trip out to LA this past October. Lucky for me, she obliged. :)




I had never done a photoshoot before and had absolutely no idea what to expect. CC told me to pick a few outfits out and we both decided what would work best the day of the actual shoot.

At first it felt kind of awkward...actually really awkward. I am definitely not a natural, so it took some time to 'warm up'



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After awhile it got much easier. I also found that props helped a lot because it got my mind off of the task at hand. Not only props, but familiar props - such as my computer, Diary, and most of all, my beloved stuffed Eeyore. I felt most comfortable with these things and I think it shows in the pictures! ♥







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My favorite set was the "princess" set - of course haha. I like the bright pops of color and overall girly-ness...no surprise there. :D The banner for my blog came from this set!









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It was interesting to move from the cozy indoors to the vast outdoors - it made me a bit anxious to start shooting outside in plain view of complete strangers, but CC kept cracking me up the whole time which made things much MUCH easier...





The whole process took about 3 hours including outfit/makeup changes and getting set up. However, it felt like it was over much quicker!



CC is truly an amazing, friendly and super talented person - although I was totally and shy, she helped me ease up and relax which made the overall experience enjoyable and FUN!

I think every girl should have the opportunity to star in her very own photoshoot. I'm quite familiar with taking pictures of myself for reviews and am pretty picky when it comes to selecting ones for viewing. From that perspective, it was difficult to relinquish control of the camera's eye and trust that the photographer wouldn't enhance my flaws, capture my double chin, or present me as unattractive in any way!

After the proofs came out, I'll admit I wasn't 100% happy with what seemed like a ton of the pictures - however, like any pics, there are going to be duds! The great thing about the photoshoot was that there were some pics that I absolutely LOVED - which is a very rare thing. :D

So yes, if you know a friend with a great camera (it seems like a lot of lovely ladies on blogger own pretty sweet cameras!) or any digital camera for that matter - go out, enjoy the nice weather, and have an inspired Spring photoshoot! :D It'll be fun to showcase your current sense of style in clothing/hair/makeup and explore your own city as you scour for good locations. Who knows, you might end up with a pretty new profile pic for blogger/fb/ms etc. and some great memories! ♥

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Since I have been busy with dealing with the mess in my room that is this (Spring cleaning mega closet wipeout extravaganza!), I haven't been able to dig out some of my products for reviews!!! :(

However, this Thursday, look forward to my first review in awhile :D I think I will have extracted the necessary objects by that point!

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A MILLION HUGS TO SOPHIA for the sweetest and most random surprise ever!!! I haven't devoured the kit kats yet since I am waiting to share with boyfriend & sisters, but SOON.





I loved the note so much too on the hilarious engrishy stationary!



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Muchos Besos to Penelope, icitea, Vernz, Me, Mimi, Makeup&more, Christina, Tann, xiong-c, Iyah, Andrea, Ria, Samy, Daya, fionaa, kshuttle, Kat, dovile, mitchteryosa, sugar princess, i luv contests and more, mommy rubz, Zoe, joanne, Me7a, Beka, and Jo Tee!!! Spoiled yet again. *^_^*

Almost the weekend = Excited!!!!!!!

♥ Irene