Review: Koh Gen Do Maifanshi Aqua Foundation

Hey guys!

I'm sorry I haven't been blogging recently. I'm glad to say that I have finally completely settled in for college and I've figured out how to manage my time between academics and activities. I'll definitely share my college experience with you all in a future post.

For now, I'll be writing a review on the Koh Gen Do Maifanshi Aqua Foundation. I've been using this for a little over a month now and I'm so excited to share my thoughts on it. Let's jump right in!

I got this off the Sephora website and I'm not sure if they carry this in stores. I've been eyeing this foundation for a really long time because one of my favorite Youtubers, Jen (From Head To Toe) mentioned how she loves this foundation. I actually figured out the shade that I wanted because my previous Bobbi Brown foundation's color IQ matched this IQ, so I was pretty confident the shade would match me. I do recommend that you test foundations in store, but since I wasn't sure they carried it in stores and I didn't want to make the trip out to get something I don't know if I can get my hands on, I just got it online.

It comes with a standard fluid ounce and the product is made in Japan. If you have not realized by now, I love Japanese makeup and I personally think that sometimes they suit my Asian skin better than Western products.

The foundation comes in a glass bottle and the packaging is really seek. 

I am in the shade 213 and the shade is light with very strong yellow undertones. Initially, when I first got the foundation, it seemed lighter than the Bobbi Brown foundation than I was using and I was so afraid it would turn out too light on my skin. However, the product literally blends into my skin. I would say if you have fairly light skin and really strong yellow undertones like me, this shade is probably your best bet amongst all the other shades. This is Koh Gen Do's website where they list the warm and cool tone shades.

The downside is definitely the lack of shade range for this foundation. You can take a look at the Sephora website here.

Texture wise, the foundation is very "liquidy." I wouldn't say it's like water but it is definitely really light. It is not sticky at all when you apply it onto your face and you can even get away with not powdering. I usually use my Real Techniques sponge (which btw, I would never get a Beauty Blender after using this sponge because it is so good), but a brush works well too. 

I will now be talking about the wear of the foundation. It is a light to medium coverage and it can be built up to a solid medium coverage. It looks extremely natural on the face and lets your skin's natural glow seep through (which is all I'm about in what I look for in a foundation). It is not cakey at all and with every foundation I've used, they sink into my smile lines and make them really obvious. However, with this one, although it does crease a little along my smile lines, it is not obvious at all and never makes me feel self-conscious. 

Also, for a foundation this light, I'm extremely impressed with its longevity. I've had days where I'll have this foundation on for around 16 hours and it will NOT move. I do set it with a powder though but I do so really lightly. I've played sports and the foundation still looks great and looks like skin even after I'm dripping with sweat. Here's a picture of me at a camp some time ago with my friend, Connor. I'm slightly sunburnt but other than that, the foundation still looks pretty good. 

Here's another photo of me when I'm not all gross and sweaty. Notice how the glow from my skin comes through the foundation.

Lastly, the foundation looks pretty good at night too. This was during Halloween (I was dressed as Kim Kardashian, the scariest thing on earth, hence the overlined lips and nude dress). This is my suite mate, Becca.

Overall, I highly recommend this foundation and I personally don't think I'll be looking for a new one anytime soon. Although the price is a little steep ($62), I think it is super worth it as long as you find the right shade. I can confidently say this is the best foundation I've ever used and I've gotten a lot of compliments on how great my skin looks (because the foundation looks so much like skin). 

With that, I hope you found this review helpful and thank you so much for reading! :)

Review: MAC Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder

Hey guys!

This is a review for my favorite setting powder, which is the MAC Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder. I have yet to try out the Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder in Translucent so I'll see how they compare in the future.  

This powder retails for $26USD and comes with 0.32oz. I must say that it will last me a pretty long time and I always have a backup because I just love how this sets my makeup perfectly.

There is no scent to this product and it does not leave your skin cakey at all, (provided that you don't excessively powder your face). A tiny bit will help to keep your face matte all day. If you have oily skin, you could apply a little more, but since I have dry skin, a little will do for me. On days where I want a dewier finish, I will apply a minimal amount on top of my foundation and my skin will still peek through.

Like most loose powders, it comes with a seal. I usually don't keep the seal on once I open it. If I were to travel I would definitely stuff a lot of tissue or cotton pads so that no powder will spill out. I do want to show you how the powder looks like which you will see down below, and that was when I did not pack the container with tissue and the powder just went everywhere. So this is definitely something to keep in mind when you travel. But other than that, I don't think it is a hassle at all. 

By the way, when you feel like you have almost finished using your powder since nothing really comes out of the holes, you can pull out the black part with the holes and you will find that there is still a decent amount of powder left behind. 

I actually done some research before buying my very first MAC Prep and Prime powder. I initially wanted to get the Make Up Forever HD Powder, but I've seen many "makeup malfunctions" on celebrities due to that powder. It causes a very obvious flash back and man it looks horrible. On the other hand, I've worn this MAC powder to a lot of dances in school and I've never had any trouble with flash backs. 

Additionally, unlike some transparent powders, this MAC powder will never make your foundation lighter even if you were to accidentally put on powder excessively. 

Overall, I absolutely love this powder. I really don't mind spending the money on this because I didn't find a setting powder at the drugstore that I liked (I tried the hyped up Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Transparent but I felt like I needed a lot more than this MAC one to mattify my face).

I hope you found this interesting and thank you so much for reading! :)

USC Welcome Week 2016

Hi guys!

I've officially moved into my dorm at USC and classes start tomorrow so I'm super excited! These are just some photos that I took this past week, which is known as our welcome week.

Tommy my man.

No I have not graduated. This was convocation, which marked the beginning of my journey as a Trojan.

Sabrina, my roomie, and I trying out skirts for game day. The sizes are actually for kids so I didn't get the skirt. I felt like it was a little too short for my liking. Fortunately, adult sizes are coming in soon.

I did get the tank top though.

Mom came by my dorm before she left back for Shanghai. That night, we had a college residential cup which was a competition between the different residential colleges. I'm in the International Residential College (you don't have to be from international though).

While figuring out where our classes were in our huge campus, Sabrina and I found our dance class. This is us fooling around.

We also had a welcome back concert and a carnival. I'm really loving my suite mates!! We're all getting along so well and that's everything I've wished for. LANY performed and I'm seriously so in love with their songs now.

 Gotta love me some cotton candy.

Thank you so much for reading! I'm super excited for college and ready to embark on this new journey. Talk to you guys soon!

Review: Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Even Finish Foundation SPF 15

Hey guys!

Today, I'll be reviewing the Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Even Finish Foundation with SPF 15. This foundation may look familiar to you already. I mentioned it in a 2015 empties and a 2016 empties post previously, but have never written an in-depth review on it before. So let's jump right in.

This was the first high-end foundation that I got from Sephora when I was at a Stanford summer camp. The lady helping me recommended that I get a Color IQ match. It's like a mini camera that takes pictures of different parts of your face and finds all the foundations (or concealers) in store that match you perfectly. I ended up with the shade Warm Sand 2.5, which has strong yellow undertones and is my perfect shade in the summer.  

Here are the claims on Bobbi Brown's website: "A natural-looking and long-wearing foundation with SPF. Comfortable and hydrating, this medium to full coverage oil-free formula never looks cakey or masky." It is targeted towards normal to oily skin but even though I have pretty dry skin, I never felt like this foundation dried up my skin or left weird patches. Additionally, I feel like the foundation does really live up to its claims. I will have pictures down below for you to view.

The foundation comes in a frosted glass bottle and has a rather classy look. It also comes with a pump and is travel-friendly since I never had to worry about the foundation spilling or anything. 

There is also a lavender scent to it, but it's not overpowering and it doesn't bother me. Wayne Goss (the Youtuber) said in one of his videos that lavender is irritating, but personally, this foundation never broke me out. I just wanted to let you know that there is a fragrance and if you are sensitive to fragrance this foundation might not be for you.

It comes with 1 fluid ounce (30mL), which is a typical amount amongst most foundations. It expires around 24 months after opening. 

Here are some swatches of the foundation.

I like to apply this foundation with a damp sponge rather than a brush because I tend to prefer a more natural and sheer look. 

Now, here are some pictures of how the foundation wears on my skin.

I took these pictures after I came home walking for 15 minutes in like over 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) weather, under the hot sun, and I was sweating PROFUSELY once I reached home. The foundation has been on my face for about 7 hours. I really wanted to test if it was long-wearing and if the finish was still even.

So I came home and blot my face with some tissue to get the sweat off. I then took these photos and I am surprised to see how the foundation did not break down that much and there was still a really even finish. 

I sweat a lot on my forehead, but from the looks of it, my skin still looks pretty smooth.

I must say that this foundation settles into my smile lines, but then again, every foundation that I have used does that. Thankfully, it'll go away when I rub over the crease lightly.  

I've circled out the slightly problematic areas. There's my smile line, my nose, and my cheeks. You can't see the crease on my smile line anymore since I rubbed it off like I previously mentioned. The foundation wore off a little around my nose, but it's not extremely obvious unless you stare closely at it.

The biggest problem for me is that the foundation will settle into my pores on my cheeks. When I use my Hard Candy Sheer Envy Skin Perfecting Primer in the pink packaging, my pores won't show through. BUT, when I use my Tarte Clean Slate Poreless 12-hr Perfecting Primer my pores would really show through.

The same goes for the other side with the circled areas.

Another slightly problematic area is my nose. Maybe the foundation is settling into the pores as well. Once again, it's not that noticeable, unless you zoom in on the picture. 

Overall, I do enjoy using this foundation. I feel like not a lot of people talk about it. If I put on just a little powder, there is a slight dewiness to it and my skin does seem to show through. If I put on just a normal amount of powder for those days where I really need my foundation to last, I will get a matte, but not a cakey face. 

I have worn this foundation to all my dances or special events, such as Winter Formal and Prom, and it never gave me a flashback even though it has SPF in it.

Do keep in mind that when I took these photos, I was using the Hard Candy primer so that really helped to eliminate the look of pores. I must say that the foundation does not look that nice when I don't use that primer. It may just be that the foundation doesn't work that well with my skin and it could work better for you.

I would probably try out some different foundations just because I like trying out different products.

I hope you found this review informative and thank you so much for reading! :)