The Infamous Saizen (Daiso) Charcoal Mask

ETA 6:38PM: Corrected NaraSHIKAwa translations to say NaraKASHIwa.

Yes, this is the much-raved about charcoal mask at Japanese discount store Saizen.

Can you say bandwagon? XD

I think the protective foil they used to cover the opening is a very good hygienic packaging technique.

Many other blogs have already provided good reviews of this, so I won't go into full detail anymore. What I do have to bring to the table are translations:

(Click image to enlarge and read the text better!)

Surprise surprise! The Saizen Charcoal Mask's true brand name is Narakashiwa!

Unfortunately, the mask did not work as completely for me as some other GTalkers. It successfully removed the hard-to-extract blackheads/whiteheads at the sides of my nose, but did little else for the rest of it.

Stila CC vs Skin Food FFLC

Last Monday, I reviewed Skin Food's Fresh Fruit Lip & Cheek (Tint). Last Thursday, I posted my review on Stila's Convertible Color. Let's see how well the two stack up against each other.

FFLC tins have 6 grams of product,

while CCs only contain 4.25g.

The 1.75g that CCs lack is made up for by the inclusion of a mirror.

FFLC's packaging is ultra portable, but doesn't have much aesthetic appeal. It looks like a plain old boring lip balm container.

It doesn't help that the labeling material they used is non-waterproof paper either. What if I use this in the bathroom and it gets wet when I wash my hands? Blotchy sticker paper is not pretty.

In contrast, CCs come in beautifully etched compacts that are color-coordinated with their respective shades.

They also come in their own boxes made of recycled paper. FFLCs only come covered in cheap plastic.

And now, the rundown!

Stila Convertible Color			Skin Food Fresh Fruit Lip and Cheek
Pros	Cons	Similarities		Pros	Cons
· Local price (P845) is way cheaper than US price ($25=P1156.25), so you end up saving P311.25! · has a mirror · Fragrance-free · Amazing packaging	· Lesser value for its local price (P845.00 = 4.25g; meaning P198.82 per 1g) · Quite hard to blend on the cheeks	· Extremely portable, can comfortably fit in your jeans pocket. · Long lasting for cream-based products (both last half a day for me) · Excellent color selection · Can easily be found locally (FFLC at SF stores, CC at Stila counters in Rustan’s)		· Actually has greater value for its local price (P745.00 = 6g; meaning P124.17 per 1g) · Has a pleasant scent accurate to whatever flavor you purchased (mine smells exactly like grapefruits!) · Slightly less drying than CC when used on the lips	· Sells for only 6000 Korean Won (P240.87!), so local markup is a BIG RIP-OFF · Cheaper to buy from online resellers, which is quite a hassle considering our crappy post office rates · Boring packaging · NO MIRROR

My verdict?

Stila Convertible Color wins, most notably for its more reasonable local pricing and for its inclusion of a mirror!

In terms of quality, however, both products are seriously equally good and have really lovely colors. Perhaps if FFLCs were not so overpriced and if shipping wasn't such a bitch here, my review would probably have turned out more like this one.

Stila Convertible Color in Poppy

I bought this right after enrollment last November to reward myself for smoothly running through this semester's bureaucratic red tape.  (Enrollment at my university is a rather tricky process with lots of falling in line involved. X_X)

I was very surprised when I saw this product in person. For a creme-based lip and cheek treatment, it was much larger than I thought!

SIZE REFERENCE: The hair clip is roughly 5 cm.

As do most CC owners, I think the mirror is a very welcome addition.

The color appears way too red to be used on the cheeks,

but blending well easily fixes that.

Here's how it looks on my cheek:

And on my lips:

Although I'm pretty far from being doll-like, the overall effect reminds me very much of antique dolls - the kind with painted lips and lightly flushed cheeks.

Stila CCs cost PHP845.00 (USD18.27), which is a pretty good price considering their website sells them for USD25.00 (PHP1156.25).

Skin Food Fresh Fruit Lip and Cheek in Grapefruit

This product's name sounds like something is missing. "Skin Food Fresh Fruit Lip and Cheek" what? Tint? Balm? Slime?

Actually, this is a creme-based lip and cheek treatment that smells and looks very much like its indicated flavor, grapefruit (a relative of our local pomelo).

It's extremely small, as you will see below. It's also not advisable to buy it at local Skin Food stores, because they have it exorbitantly priced at around P745.00.

Luckily, it performs very well despite its prohibitive size. I like the refreshed flush it gives my cheeks,

as well as how it looks on my lips.

Put together, FF L&C brightens up my look with very little effort. Perfect for lazy days!

e.l.f. Brightening Eye Color in Butternut

Took me long enough to review this quad! :P

Butternut is one out of the two neutral quads that ELF offers (the other one being Nouveau Neutrals). This quad is composed of two rich browns and two creamy peaches.

The browns are very pigmented and very silky, although the peaches are a little on the powdery side.

And here's the look I did with them!

e.l.f. Luscious Liquid Lipstick in Caramel Candy

ELF's luscious liquid lipsticks aren't really lipsticks at all - they're more like glosses.

Caramel Candy is a frosted nude which has a slightly thicker consistency than the other LLLs I have (Baby Lips, Cherry Tart, Brownie Points).

It isn't noticeable up close,

but it gives your lips an amazing ethereal glow at a distance.

In my experience, LLLs stay on my lips until I eat or drink something. They're not drying, but I still prefer to layer them over lip balm because of their stickiness. This product isn't suited for windy days - unless you want a mouth full of hair, that is.