Monthly Archives: January 2012

Beauty Insider: What’s an Aust L Number?

Posted on by
20

I mentioned Aust L number in my previous post of a Missha BB Cream, and after speaking to Ponikuta and seeing the latest BB Cream post from Add to Cart, realised I better explain what it is and where to find it.

This is one of the downsides of being in the beauty industry – there are terminologies that I live and breathe everyday I forget they are not common knowledge… sorry… icon sad Beauty Insider: Whats an Aust L Number?

The TGA (Therapeutics Goods Adminstration) is the Commonwealth version of the FDA – so its role is to regulate the supply of medicines (prescribed and over-the-counter) and therapeutic products such as sunscreens over SPF4 and many vitamin, mineral, herbal and homoeopathic products (including essential oils).

There are strict rules that the product AND the supply facilities must adhere to, in order to be approved by the TGA.  Medicines are then issued with Aust R numbers, whilst therapeutics are issued with Aust L numbers.  These numbers must be shown on the front of pack (ie. what is visible to the consumer at point of purchase and usage).

Here are some examples – these are SPF 30+ sunscreens:

Beauty Insider: Whats an Aust L Number?

Aust L number on bottle

Beauty Insider: Whats an Aust L Number?

Aust L number on carton - the actual product inside also has Aust L number on it

For products under SPF30+, Aust L numbers are required for products that have their principle function as sun-protection.  So, a face moisturiser with SPF15 does not need an Aust L number, but a SPF15 sunscreen does.  The easiest way to differentiate is that sunscreens have a water resistancy claim, whilst moisturisers have skin nourishing claims.

Here is a SPF15 sunscreen:

Beauty Insider: Whats an Aust L Number?

Cosmetic items, do not need to have Aust L numbers.  This can be a difficult distinction but one of the easiest ways for a product to be considered “cosmetic” is to have a tint/colour.  So lipsticks, tinted moisturisers, foundations, BB Creams technically do not need to have Aust L numbers.

Some suppliers though, claim their face sunscreens have “invisible tint” to avoid dealing with the TGA – in my personal opinion, that is a bit cheeky.

Here is an example of a SPF30+ tinted moisturiser with Aust L number:

Beauty Insider: Whats an Aust L Number?

So what does it mean?

Speaking to our R&D Manager, I discovered that SPF testing is quite standard around the world.  So if you pick up an item that states SPF30+ overseas, it most likely would also be considered SPF30+ in Australia.

Water resistancy is a different matter, so if you’re picking a body sunscreen, I recommend that you pick one with Aust L number (and thus by default, sold in Australia).

The only potentially problematic products, would be those with no Aust L number AND sold in Australia.  Whilst the SPF would be up to scratch at the point of manufacture (in its country of origin, where it would need to be certified by the regulating body there), how do you know that it’s been kept in satisfactory conditions on the way to Australia, or how it’s being warehoused in Australia?

The TGA regularly audits the facilities where the sunscreens are manufactured AND warehoused.  Without their stamp of approval, there is no certainty that the product will perform to its stated claims after purchase.

So to be safe, when purchasing therapeutic products in Australia, look out for Aust L numbers.  For more information please see here and here.

Incoming search terms:

  • aust l
  • aust l number
  • aust l listed cosmetic products
  • aust l?
  • do essential oils need tga approval
  • example of an aust l medicine
  • examples of aust l medicine
  • what is the aust l number

FOTD – Mermaid Inspired

Posted on by
24

Ah I love the beauty blogger community… just when I thought I’m stuck for FOTD ideas, out comes the fabulous launch of Makeup Utopia.  Makeup Utopia will be running fortnightly FOTD challenges – and here is the first theme: Mermaid Inspired.

My interpretation of the theme is how I envisage a mermaid would look like: an ethereal and mythical sea creature with subtle colours of the sea.  As a child, I used to love playing mermaid (by wrapping a blanket around my legs, of course icon smile FOTD Mermaid Inspired ), and this is a perfect opportunity to re-live that fantasy.

FOTD Mermaid InspiredKey Products:

FOTD Mermaid Inspired

Clockwise from top left: Lunasol Vacation Ocean Eyeshadow Palette, 1028 Visual Therapy Naturally Fair Foundation, Face of Australia Mineral Therapy Illuminator Angel Mist, Tom Ford Lip Colour True Coral, Kanebo T'estimo Eyeshadow Compact No. 3, Lunasol Cream Cheeks EX03 Light Coral, Face of Australia Mini Mousse Snow White

Face:

The skin is dewy, luminous with shell-like lustre.  The cheeks are flushed coral, like a mild sunburn – which the mermaid got as she spends hours with her head above the ocean, peering at the beautiful prince.

  • Face of Australia Mineral Therapy Illuminator Angel Mist – applied all over the face/eyes/lips as base
  • 1028 Visual Therapy Naturally Fair Foundation
  • Lunasol Limited Edition Cream Cheeks EX03 Light Coral - patted across the apples of the cheeks, and a little across the nose

Eyes:

As my interpretation is how a mermaid would actually look like, the eyes are kept really light with no use of pencils.  The idea is that they are tinted by the sea grasses, golden sand and white sea foams, as the mermaid swims past them everyday.

FOTD Mermaid Inspired

  • GEO Bambi Princess Mimi circle lenses Apple Green
  • Lunasol Vacation Ocean Eyeshadows Palette – peach colour on the very inner lid, sheer aqua green all over the lid and under eye, and a little of the dark blue along the outer upper lashline 
  • Face of Australia Mineral Therapy Illuminator Angel Glow - applied lightly under the inner and outer ends of the brows
  • Kanebo T’estimo eyeshadow No. 3 - gold applied over the brows and blended into the aqua green
  • Face of Australia Mini Mousse Snow White - dotted along the temple and upper cheek, and the inner corners of the eyes
  • Face of Australia Impact-Curl Mascara Black – just 1 coat over the top and bottom lashes.

Lips:

The lips are tinted coral and naturally moist, not glossy or shimmery.

  • Lunasol Limited Edition Cream Cheeks EX03 Light Coral - applied all over the lips
  • Tom Ford Private Blend Lip Colour True Coral - patted onto the middle of the lips for a subtle gradient
  • Face of Australia Massage Therapy Lip Shine Noosa - applied very thinly over the lips

I found the best ‘tool’ for this look, is to pat the colours on with the fingers.  That way the colours look sheer, and not too precise.  Hope you like this look, and look forward to see other entries in Makeup Utopia’s FOTD Challenge 1!

FOTD Mermaid Inspired

Incoming search terms:

  • tom ford lip shine
  • angel key leg bb mousse
  • blog KANEBO Eye Colour mermaid
  • kanebo lunasol shining ocean eyes
  • tom ford liquid foundation swatches

Laura Mercier Custom Compact featuring Matte Eye Colour & Second Skin Cheek Colour

Posted on by
6

I’m a bit of a tight-you-know-what when it comes to cosmetics – I very rarely shop prestige brands.  Being in the beauty industry, I know that when it comes to quality, nowadays you can easily get the same from drugstore brands, most of the time.

Stemming from the same mentality though, I do have a save-and-spend philosophy. Where I save on a beauty product/service, I get to spend on some other beauty product/service.  So where I save on cosmetics, I spend on skincare; and where I save by doing haircolour/facials/manicures myself, I spend on cosmetic procedures.  Don’t argue – this WORKS in my mind okay!? icon biggrin Laura Mercier Custom Compact featuring Matte Eye Colour & Second Skin Cheek Colour

So this leads to the most expensive item in my makeup collection – my Laura Mercier Custom Compact, which cost me just shy of $300.

Laura Mercier Custom Compact featuring Matte Eye Colour & Second Skin Cheek Colour

There are perfect explanations as to why I made this rather extravagant purchase.  For my wedding 2 years ago, I decided I would do my own makeup.  And if I can do my own makeup, so can my 3 bridesmaids.  Bang – $500 saved right there.

However, this meant I would need completely matte eyeshadows.  Why is that?  Whilst shimmer or satin eyeshadows look great in person, in photography they reflect, making the eyes look puffy and/or you’re going to a nightclub.  Matte eyeshadows are timelessly elegant, and give you natural-looking colours and contours.

Completely matte eyeshadows were hard to find, and are usually more expensive if you want soft pigments with good pay-off (pearls in eyeshadows help with the ‘glide’ so those without can be hard and gritty).  I also needed all the colours to be in a palette format, so I can transport them with the other hundred items I needed for the big day.

Laura Mercier’s Custom Compact comes empty, and you can fill them with any of their single eye and cheek colours – I purchased the 6 well one:

Laura Mercier Custom Compact featuring Matte Eye Colour & Second Skin Cheek Colour

So you simply select your choice of single eye/cheek colours, click them out of their original casing, and click them into the custom compact.  The compact itself is pretty sturdy, but to allow changeability of the colours, they can pop out if you place a little too much pressure on the bottom.

I filled mine with 5 Matte Eye Colours and 1 Second Skin Cheek Colours:

Laura Mercier Custom Compact featuring Matte Eye Colour & Second Skin Cheek Colour

A close up of the colours – you can see how soft and intense the pigments are:

Laura Mercier Custom Compact featuring Matte Eye Colour & Second Skin Cheek Colour

Clockwise from top left: Vanilla Nuts, Sesame, Fresco, Rose Petal (Cheek Colour), Coffee Ground, Cafe Au Lait

They are all muted, neutral tones.  The texture is soft but does not fall off the brush, applies well and lasts all day.

Laura Mercier Custom Compact featuring Matte Eye Colour & Second Skin Cheek Colour

From Left: Vanilla Nuts, Sesame, Fresco, Cafe Au Lait, Coffee Ground, Rose Petal (Cheek Colour)

You can see from the swatch that the colours really blend into the skin, but do not sink into the lines.  I simply adore this palette, and think it’s a worthwhile investment.

Laura Mercier Custom Compact retails $20 for 6 well, $10 for 3 well.  Laura Mercier Eye Colours (2.8g) retail for $44 each and is available in Matte, Lustre and Sateen textures.  Laura Mercier Second Skin Cheek Colours (3.6g) retail for $48 each.  Available in selected Myer, David Jones and Adore Beauty.

Incoming search terms:

  • laura mercier cafe au lait
  • laura mercier sesame
  • laura mercier cafe au lait swatch
  • laura mercier fresco
  • laura mercier matte eye colour
  • laura mercier vanilla nuts
  • laura mercier custom compact
  • laura mercier matte eyeshadow swatches
  • laura mercier eyeshadow swatches
  • laura mercier eyeshadow

It’s My Birthday!

Posted on by
11

Its My Birthday!

Hey hey it’s my birthday today!  So I’m spending the day relaxing, and enjoying a nice lunch of DUMPLINGS with Mr Ronan!

By the way, due to Google’s new rules – Google Friend Connect will be removed from this blog from 1st March 2012.  So please wish me Happy Birthday by liking my Facebook Page or subscribing to my RSS Feed  icon smile Its My Birthday!

Now to a whole day of doing nothing…. xoxo

Incoming search terms:

  • birthday cat
  • happy birthday cat
  • cat birthday
  • happy birthday cats
  • cat happy birthday
  • happy birthday cat pictures
  • cats birthday
  • my birthday
  • kitty cat birthday
  • it\s my cat\s birthday today

Missha M Signature Real Complete BB Cream SPF 25 PA++

Posted on by
4

In the first half of 2011, Missha cosmetics house sold more BB cream than any other brands in Korea.  For that reason alone I purchased 2 BB Creams from their range. As the sales assistant told me, the M Signature Real Complete BB Cream SPF 25 PA++ is the one for sensitive and oily skin.

Missha M Signature Real Complete BB Cream SPF 25 PA++

I’ll be reviewing all BB Creams on the following criteria:

  1. Packaging
  2. Coverage
  3. Dry to touch finish
  4. Natural skin feel
  5. Fragrance
  6. Longevity

Packaging: 5/5

Missha M Signature Real Complete BB Cream SPF 25 PA++

Missha has really stepped up in their packaging design in the last couple of years; all the new products look slick and sophisticated.  The M Signature Real Complete BB Cream is packaged in a metallic embossed and foiled paperboard box, and a double walled plastic tube-shaped bottle with airless pump.  I can tell you that the packaging alone would add significantly to the cost of the product – but hey, it’s damn pretty to look at!

Unlike the pump on the Etude House BB Cream, this one offers great control, so you can squeeze as much or as little out as you need.  And even though the actual bottle (it’s only shaped like a tube) is hard – as the pump can be screwed off you should be able to get every bit of  BB Cream out of it.

Coverage: 4.5/5

Missha M Signature Real Complete BB Cream SPF 25 PA++The coverage is fantastic, and a little goes a long way.  A pea size should be adequate for the entire face, and it’s buildable so you can tap on a little more on the areas you need a concealer for.  I take 0.5 point off as it still has a tendency to sink into the lines – but this is a common problem I find with most BB Creams.

Dry-to-touch finish: 5/5

For me, the finish of this BB Cream is perfection.  It leaves no shiny or sticky feel on the skin – I only need to dust powder over my T-zone and eyes (the latter in order to put on eye makeup without it smudging).

Natural skin feel: 3.5/5

Missha M Signature Real Complete BB Cream is a little pink when first applied, but then adapts to the natural skin tone.  It’s also available in 2 shades so you can pick one that’s more suited for you.

The finish is nice and dewy and feels pretty weightless on the skin.  To be honest this BB Cream should score quite highly, but I had to take 1.5 points off.  Why?  0.5 point is because it broke me out after a few days – not a bad pimple outbreak but I noticed a few milia (tiny congestion bumps) coming up here and there.  This could just be me, as I do have acne-prone skin.

I took 1 point off because the UV Factor of this (and other Missha products) is unsubstantiated by the Australian standards.  Missha SPF products are not approved by the TGA, evident in the absence of Austl number on the front of pack.  By law, this particular product does not need to be TGA approved as it’s under SPF30+ and is considered a cosmetic item.  However I assessed Missha’s entire range and found no Austl number on their sunscreens over SPF30+ either.

Fragrance: 4/5

Perhaps partially due to it not being a SPF30+ product, the Missha M Signature Real Complete BB Cream has no sunscreen smell.  It does have a retro moisturiser smell (like the type our mums wear) which is not unpleasant, but I can probably do without.

Longevity: 4/5

For a almost cream formula, this BB Cream has great lasting powder.  It stays put on my face for a good 5-6 hours.  It does come off in patches but not so severe that it’s noticeable.

TOTAL SCORE: 26 OUT OF 30

The Missha M Signature Real Complete BB Cream is quite a beauty – it ticks all the boxes in terms of how a BB Cream should be.  Unless you’re like me and have had a history of breaking out with tinted moisturisers, this BB Cream should suit everyone.

I would also urge Missha to do the right thing and adhere to the Australian standards. Our methods of testing SPF may not be perfect, it nevertheless is the law in Australia to only sell SPF products that are approved by the TGA.

Missha M Signature Real Complete BB Cream SPF 25 PA++ retails for $36.90 and is available from Missha flagship stores Australia-wide (store locations here).

Incoming search terms:

  • missha signature bb cream
  • missha bb cream
  • missha m signature real complete bb cream
  • Missha Signature Real Complete BB cream
  • m signature real complete bb cream
  • missha
  • missha m signature real complete bb cream review
  • missha signature bb cream review
  • missha real complete bb cream
  • missha signature real complete