A little late to the game, but I was able to purchase 6 shades to Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stains. According to Jordana's website there are only 10 shades, therefore I almost have all the collection! While doing my review, what I was looking forward was to prove if the claims made in the official
website were true or not.
Without further delay, I am going to describe the shades
- Sweet Pink: Bright pink, but unlike most lipsticks of the same shade it actually is flattering on me.
- Candied Coral: A blue based barbie pink, almost neon.
- Honey Love: A brownish pink, the picture may not show it but in my case is a MLBB.
- Cranberry Crush:Purple toned lipstick
- Rock n Rouge This shade is a pinkish red,of all the balms this is the one I find has the most shimmer in it.
- Fresh Fig: Mauve color, my favorite of them all.
The balm stain do moisturize the lips, and their texture is very buttery. They color may fade, but the stain left behind is pretty.
I am quite obsessed with them, and I wear them often to work or to run errands as a little color does brighten the face.
What is your opinion on lip stains? Love them or hate them?
My holy grail mascara has a name: Kiss Me Heroine Make Long & Curl Mascara.
When I was browsing through the make-up aisle this mascara immediately caught my eye, not only have I seen it before on the web but the packaging must be the most beautiful in the market. The colors, the typography, the royal themed and Himeko Elisabeth are astonishing. I love the Versailles no Baraesque character design as I am uber obsessed with 70s shoujo manga drawing style.
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| I honestly bought the mascara in order to achieve Himeko Elisabeth gorgeous mile-long eyelashes. |
The mascara has a wet formula, with tiny fibers which are responsible of the manga eye effect. The brush is curved and very easy to handle, be careful not to poke you eye as due the fibers it will sting during the whole day (I learned it the hard way).The packaging design is sleek, the cap fits perfectly,so there is no need to worry if you put the mascara in your purse as it won't open and cause a mess inside.
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| Tube & Wand |
As for the results, here is my before and after :
As you can see there is a huge difference,even though I only applied one coat.
No matter how long is your day, it will not smudge nor flake. Obviously, being such a strong formula it means that it is difficult to remove at night. I use coconut oil and make-up remover, trying to be as gentle as I can,
You can order it online, or if you are lucky enough to live near a large Japanese Market (such as Marukai) you may find it.
Bottom line I give a solid 10 out of 10 due its quality, packaging, staying power and because it does delivers what it promises.
Have you heard of this brand? What other Japanese products do you like?
As winter arrived, I knew that I had to embark on a quest to find the formula for perfect moisturized lips. For reference, during winter my lips get extremely chapped, to the point that my lips bleed and as you may imagine, it gets really painful and it not the prettiest image.
Another point that I always have in mind is the fact that I have a full-time job and sometimes is very hard for me to take a break to the bathroom and reapply my makeup nonetheless, I still want to look good for work!
I came across a little shop where I found Jordana Twist &Shine Moisturizing Balm Stains. Being the impulsive person I am and resting assure on the quality of good ol' Jordana products, I decided to buy all the shades they carried in that moment (plus, I got a little discount which is nice!).
Judging by the package -which you can check below-, I imagined I got a quite big range of tones albeit a tad dark.
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| (Lto R: Fresh Fig, Rock n Rouge, Cranberry Crush, Honey Love, Candied Coral, Sweet Pink). |
But they are kind of similar one to another. They are not exactly the same, but as you can see in the swatches, at least on my lips (my natural lip color is a brownish pink shade) and against my skin color (somewhat between the ranges of NC20-NC25), there are subtle diferences.
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(Top L to R: Sweet Pink, Candied Coral, Honey Love.
Bottom Lto R: Cranberry Crush, Rock n Rouge, Fresh Fig)
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Sweet Pink is a very cool pink shade, what I consider Barbie Pink. Candied Coral is a warmer shade of pink, it does not looks orange on me. Honey Love is a brownish pink color, it is a little lighter than my natural lip color and I feel it wears me out. Cranberry Crush is a mauvish tone, my favorite of the bunch. Rock n Rouge is a bright, fun reddish pink. Fresh Fig is also gorgeous, it is a tone down Cranberry Crush.
Formula wise I found that they are all the same, the color is a little bit sheer, very glossy, it is very buildable. As the name states, they are very moisturizing and they provide shine. Also, they leave a very beautiful stain, which is a huge pro! They have a noticeable smell, very fruity, it almost make me want to chew them.
Regardless of what it may sound, I actually am really pleased with the purchase, the only color I don't really like is Sweet Pink as it is such a cool and light shade so it clashes with my complexion.
I recommend them if you want humectation and a glossy finish.
Have you tried them? How would you compare them against the many similar products from other brands that are currently on the market?
XOXO,
O.
