THREE – the beauty endeavor

THREE Flawless Ethereal Fluid Foundation 204 & 205: Review & Swatches

THREE is a Japanese brand I like. They make cosmetics and skincare. Sadly they’re not sold in the US and unless you visit Japan, or a neighboring country they have a store in, you can only get them at a custom purchase Japanese buying site like Ichibankao.com. THREE is a natural brand which I like. I’ve been on a foundation kick the last few months and have been eyeing the THREE Ethereal Fluid Foundation for a while. Details per THREE:

Liquid foundation that creates real translucence enhanced with each layer of luster and uses light to achieve perfect coverage, for long-lasting effects that you can really feel. Like a tinted emulsion, this goes on smoothly and melts into your skin for a perfect fit. The skincare effects of the botanical oils bring out the hidden beauty of your skin.

This is a thin fluid foundation with light to medium weightless coverage that sets to a perfect satin finish. It’s not dewy. It has no discernible scent. This foundation really needs no powder as it sets to the best satin finish. Its weightless, doesn’t feel heavy or greasy at all. It looks like skin. I had no breakouts while using this foundation nor any adverse reactions. It’s buildable to a degree. You’re only going to get so far with a foundation such as this.

I grabbed shade 204 at first but after testing it out I decided to grab 205 as well. 204 is a light medium beige with stronger yellow tones. 205 is a medium beige with olive undertones. While 204 seems like the perfect shade for me, it’s a bit too yellow and a touch too pale. 205 seems a bit dark but the olive undertone adds a bit of the depth I need and it does lighten some after it sets.

I find foundations that are a touch too pale for me settle into the pores on my cheeks and look more noticeable. Shades that are a touch darker cover my cheek redness better and don’t settle in my pores noticeably. I could really use either shade and get away with it as it’s a light to medium coverage foundation. An exact match is not fully necessary. It’s more what you prefer in a shade. I’m darker than a NC25, but not as dark as an NC30. A NC27 seems best but it really just depends on the foundation formula for me.

THREE is more pigmented and less dewy than Zelens Youth Glow and Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder. This is also most similar to the Sisley Sisleya Le Teint Anti-Aging Foundation I just reviewed. The THREE Flawless Ethereal Fluid Foundation is a touch more satin than the Sisley. The only downside to this foundation (besides availability) is it can be a touch drying. You can make this go either way depending what face creams and makeup primer base you layer it over. It can be a summer foundation by layering over light lotion and a mattifying primer, or you can make it more hydrating by layering over a heavier cream and hydrating primer. It still stays satin, never greasy and lasts the majority of the day, 8-10 hours without fading. If you’re a foundation-a-holic, love fluid weightless foundations in well done formulas, and can find a match it’s worth trying.

Top to Bottom: Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder #6, Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation #6, Surratt Surreal Skin #6, THREE 205, THREE 204, Zelens Youth Glow Beige:

Ingredients

SPF 36/PA+++ Free of UV absorbing chemicals and parabens

Contains eight types of botanical oils and fats (emollient)
Inca inchi oil, tea seed oil, argan oil, jojoba oil, evening primrose oil, rosehip oil, shea butter, beeswax

A Glimpse in My Palettes

Here’s a look into my current makeup palettes. I prefer depotted shades because 1) Palettes take up less room 2) I remember to use all the shades because they’re there in plain view and 3) I don’t have to rummage through a whole drawer looking for a specific shade. I do love special packaging, but I will ruin it to put that shade in a palette if I know it’s a keeper forever.

One thing I love about Japanese or Japanese inspired brands is that they make depotting so easy. They have holes in the packaging and easy light glue. You can just pop the pan out by poking them through the hole in the back. You don’t have to ruin the package depotting it and then you can put it back in the case if you want to in the future. Everyone else should learn from this and make their items easy to depot. It’s the way makeup has been going for years, even with the non pro makeup artists.

I wasn’t originally going to list the shades, but I figure I’ll get asked so might as well. I’ll do left to right, top row to bottom row. Yes I know it’s a lot of browns and nudes and might be boring for those color adventurers. I love browns/nudes in every shape and form.

Eyeshadow

Surratt-Chinchilla, Vision, Zibeline, Brunatre. Natasha Denona-Skin, Satin Skin, Satin Tan, Smoky Topaz. L’oreal Holographic King’s Ransom(DC’d and old).

Surratt-Soie, Idealiste, Haute Chocolate, Griege, Ombre, Brun Noir. NARS Kalahari L shade. YSL Couture Mono #11.

SUQQU Yuushakuyaku Top L, Bottom L. SUQQQU Kozuecha Bottom R, Top R. SUQQU Rengazome Top L, Top R. SUQQU Trio Toutouseki Bottom Brown. THREE 4-D Plus Palette 03 Glitter shade. NARS Kalahari R shade. Addiction Penny Lane.

SUQQU Yuushakuyaku Top R, Bottom R. SUQQU Kozuecha Top L, Bottom L. SUQQU Rengazome Bottom R, Bottom L. SUQQU Trio Toutouseki Middle Pink. THREE 4-D Plus 02 Glitter shade. Armani Maestro 32. YSL Couture Mono #17. Addiction Marron Glace.

THREE 4-D Plus Bottom L Browns from-X01, 01, 03, 02. Charlotte Tilbury Golden Goddess Grey Enhance shade. SUQQU Trio EX-05 Sumichazumi Middle Brown with the Bottom Black right below. THREE 4-D Plus 03 Bottom R with Bottom L from X01 right below. Burberry Pale Barley new version. Edward Bess Intimate. Addiction Christmas Love.

Blush

MAC Seduced at Sea, Estee Edit First Lover, Becca Mineral Sweetpea, NARS Douceur, THREE 08 Eternal Traveler with THREE 17 Wind Swept Soul right below.

Marc Jacobs Flesh & Fantasy, SUQQU 02 Hanachaori, Makeup Revolution Nude, Urban Decay Video, THREE 07 Magical Thinking with Surratt La Rosee Du Soir right below.

Rouge Bunny Rouge Habanera, Armani Sheer Blush #4, Addiction #29 Noah.

Highlighter

NYX Duo Chromatic-Lavender Steel, Crushed Bloom. Makeup Revolution Ulta Pro Glow Palette Pink Shade 2nd from Bottom L. Urban Decay Fireball.

Natasha Denona Light, Makeup Geek Psychedelic.

Random Eyeshadows

L row top to bottom: MAC-Silver Sun, Smut, Urban Decay Bust.

R row top to bottom: Makeup Geek I’m Peachless, Urban Decay-Fireball, Suspect, MAC-Patina, Vex.

Some Current Favorites

Time to talk about a few things I’ve been reaching for a lot lately. I’ve mentioned Ava Luxe’s Black Coconut perfume oil in the past. Since the weather has been in the 80s this last week here in Texas I’ve already started thinking about Summer. Which means coconut scents. I love beachy coconut scents, they are my favorite. This one is a sweet, boozy, deep coconut. Yet it manages to be natural. I slather it on with no remorse.

Sisley Paris Sisleya Le Teint Anti-Aging Foundation is a recent discovery and I’m so glad I splurged. It’s a light to medium satin finish foundation that just feels like skin, and skincare at the same time. I have shade 2.5 in Linen. More to come on that one.

I’ve been a lover for many years of Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatments. New shade Bloom is a light medium neutral pink with a kiss of shimmer. It has a staple place in my bag right now. Review here.

I didn’t have good luck with SUQQU’s original Frame Fix liquid foundation. It was too dry so I skipped the Frame Fix Foundation Lightness when it first launched. I have been on a foundation kick again so I grabbed shade 203. I like it, more dewy, skin-like and not drying like the original. More to come.

I grabbed a small bottle of the OUAI Wave Spray and at first I didn’t like it. It was too sticky for me. I have come to really like it now that my mini bottle is almost gone. It adds such hold and texture that lasts all day. You just have to learn how to use it and not over do it. More to come on that one shortly.

I threw Margaret Dabbs Hand Lotion in my Cultbeauty cart as an extra to meet free shipping. It was a huge pleasant surprise. It’s lightweight, yet so moisturizing with a light citrus scent. It’s become a quick favorite. More to come on that one too.

I wasn’t into the Sol de Janeiro Bum Cream but was excited when I saw Brazilian Kiss Lip Butter as I needed a new tube of some kind of lip balm. It’s been good so far. Light, yet really hydrating and not greasy. A very light slightly sweet scent similar to cocoa butter.

I waited forever to finally grab THREE’s Flawless Ethereal Fluid Foundation. I grabbed shade 204. This is a lightweight yet really pigmented formula. It’s got a satin to matte finish. I think 204 is too golden for me so I have 205 on the way which looks more beige. More to come on that one as well.

THREE Under the Magic Moon Shimmering Lip Jam: Pale Moon X01 & Moon Whisper X03: Review & Swatches

I’ve talked about the THREE Shimmering Lip Jam formula here as well as the recent holiday Under the Magic Moon collection with the Eye Quad here. These Lip Jams are limited edition from the Holiday 2015 collection. I love the formula and grabbed X01 Pale Moon and X03 Moon Whisper.

Top Pale Moon, Bottom Moon Whisper:

Pale Moon is described as “translucent with rainbow pearl.” Moon Whisper is described as a “foggy pink with multi colored pearl.” Pale Moon is definitely not translucent, it’s a pale, creamy, yellow orange beige base with small multi colored pearl. Pink or red pearl is the most prevalent. Moon Whisper could be a ‘foggy pink’, it’s a cooler light to medium pink with multi colored pearl. It reminds me of a Barbie pink or deeper bubblegum pink.

They both sheer out on the lips and just add a tint, like the other Lip Jams. The shimmer in these limited holiday ones is more abundant in the glosses, but it’s smaller than the usual shimmer they use. It doesn’t show up on the lips well. You can see it more so in the sunlight. However, the regular Lip Jams sheer out to look like a tint with no shimmer on the lips, so these ones are more shimmery technically. They’re just not a lot of shimmer. I would love to see some shades with more shimmer, not glitter.

Pale Moon sheers out to be almost clear feeling, it makes my lips a bit paler in a concealer nude type way, but I don’t look dead. I usually am not a fan of creamy colors this light, I would prefer clear with shimmer above pale creamy shades. Pale Moon seems to work OK for me, it’s warmer than a regular concealer style gloss so maybe that’s why it works. Moon Whisper is too cool for me, Barbie pinks aren’t as good on me as the more yellow based warmer pinks. So both were kind of a fail for me, love the formula just wish there was more shimmer in these and that I had picked better shades for me.

Sunlight to show the pearl, Top Pale Moon, Bottom Moon Whisper:

Swatches: Top Pale Moon, Bottom Moon Whisper:

Sunlight:

Sheered Out:

THREE Under the Magic Moon 4D-Plus Eye Palette: Moonray X01: Swatches & Comparison

THREE is a Japanese makeup brand I have talked about before. They had a Under the Magic Moon Holiday Collection and I picked up the 4D-Plus Eye Palette in Moonray and two Lip Jams. I’ll talk about the Lip Jams in another post.

I talked about previous 4D-Palettes here so I’ll just swatch compare this palette to previous ones. This is a limited edition palette and has a special silver and gold pattern on the front.

This has the same textures as the previously reviewed quads. The top R is a creamy “oil glue” shimmery cooler light to medium brown shade. The bottom R is a metallic cool light beige highlight and it’s the most pigmented of the bunch. The bottom L is a shimmery light neutral brown. The top L is a sheer glitter purple shade with purple, pink and gold micro glitter.

Sunlight:

Swatches Starting Top R Counter Clockwise:

Compared with L to R: THREE 4-D Plus in 03 Transcend Time, X01 Moonray, 01 Close to Your Heart:

Swatches Top to Bottom: L-Bottom L 03, R-Bottom L 01; L-Top R 03, R-Top R 01; Top R X01(Oil Glue), Top L X01(Glitter), Bottom L X01(Shimmery Base), Bottom R X01(Highlight):

Overall, this palette gives a cooler light brown nude look. The glitter shade doesn’t change the overall look as much as it did in the other quads. It just kind of makes the brown lighter a touch and cooler. The bottom L shade reminds me of MAC Soba except more shimmery and a better texture. Compared to the other two quads it’s lighter than both, warmer than #01 Close to Your Heart, cooler than #03 Transcend Time. This one is actually my favorite of the three palettes. I just ordered palette #02, as I love these so much, so stay tuned on comparing that one.

THREE 4D-Plus Eye Palette #1 Close to Your Heart & 3 Transcend Time:Review & Swatches

The most recent things I’ve ordered to try from THREE is their new 4D-Plus Eye Palettes in #1 Close to Your Heart & 3 Transcend Time. Per THREE’s website: “This eye shadow palette, with four colors varying in hue, light and texture, enables a sophisticated blend and deep nuance. The key balancing factor is oil glue. The oil-based eye shadow glides onto the eyelids in a thin layer and smoothly lays one color over another, creating effortless, impressive shades. Capturing the light in any scene, these four characteristic hues transform into a sheer veil and deliver dimension and depth to the eye area. Effortless but expressive, your “smoldering eyes” will stand out.”

The top right shade in both palettes is the oil-glue base shade. The texture is a thinner cream shadow, it’s not sticky like glue or anything. It’s not overly oily, yet it’s not like a water based cream shadow either. This shade affects the overall tone of the palette the most. The top left shade in both palettes is a sheer micro glitter style accent shadow. The glitter is super fine, not overpowering and I didn’t notice any fall out from it. It reminds me of Tom Ford and Charlotte Tilbury’s glitter shades, except it’s much subtler glitter and not quite as dry. You want to use a stiffer brush to apply these as they are dry and hard to some degree. With a brush they apply great. They’re complex and it’s hard to capture how pretty they are in pictures. The bottom left shade is a shimmery satin in both palettes. The texture is thinner, maybe a touch dry, not powdery or buttery either. It applies evenly, smoothly and is light to medium pigmented. You need a brush to apply well, it swatches worse than it applies with a brush. The bottom right shades are a more pigmented metallic shimmery highlight shadow that are very smooth and even. These are the best texture of the palette.

I tended to apply the oil-glue shade over my lid, the satin in the crease, the metallic as a highlight or brow bone and the glitter over the oil-glue on the lid and crease. With each shade being a different texture you can definitely mix it up to create numerous looks. While the effect overall is still either a cool or warm brown eye, there is some cool effects added from the glitter and metallic shades. I didn’t find any creasing from the oil-glue cream shade. I used Urban Decay’s eye primer and then set it by adding a powder like the glitter shade over it. Both palettes are unique from shades I own and it is really hard to capture how pretty the metallic and glitter shades are in real life. While both palettes enhance a basic brown look, they won’t be for everyone. Especially if you don’t love nudes.

THREE suggests applying the oil-glue shade first in the outer third of the upper lid and on the bottom edge of the upper lid near the lash line. Then apply the medium(satin) shade on the whole lid. Next apply the glitter accent shade on the lid extending past the medium shade. Last apply the highlight shade on the inner “v” or tear duct area of your eye. I suppose applying this way will have the overall tone of the look most affected by the medium not oil-glue shade. I have yet to try it this way since I just found this information on their website last night.

#1 Close to Your Heart is described as “This smoky brown palette with a gentle gold hue creates a pure impression.” The top left is a sheer glittery gold shade that has gold and purple glitter in it. The top right oil-glue is a shimmery, cool ashy brown. The bottom left is a shimmery, satin, neutral medium brown. The bottom right is a cool, metallic, light iridescent pink. Overall, this palette gives a cooler brown eye effect.

Sunlight:

#3 Transcend Time is described as “This pink-brown palette with a chic, brilliant reddish hue offers sensual looks.” The top left is a sheer warm glittery pink with pink and purple glitter, it’s actually a bit iridescent and hard to capture it’s full effect in pictures. It’s also less glittery and more subtle than the gold glitter shade in the other palette. It almost comes off as a shimmery shade, but in sunlight you see the glitter. The top right oil-glue shade is a shimmery, warm medium brown. The bottom left is a shimmery, satin, cool ashy brown. The bottom right is a cooler, metallic rose gold pink. Overall, the effect is a warm brown look.

Sunlight:

Swatches #1, Starting Top R then counter clockwise:

Swatches #3, Starting top R then counter clockwise:

Compared side by side: L #3, R #1:

Sunlight: L #1, R #3:

L #1, R #3(This picture has a bit of a odd lighting to it, but it showed the iridescence the best) Starting top R then counter clockwise:

Sunlight:

THREE Shimmering Lip Jam #13 Silence Says & 14 Wear the Sunset: Swatches

I’ve already reviewed THREE’s Shimmering Lip Jam here. THREE is a Japanese cosmetics brand that has to be imported as it’s not sold in the US. I recently got two new Fall 2015 shades in 13 Silence Says and 14 Wear the Sunset. I love the formula, it’s really comfortable to wear. It’s moisturizing, not sticky and has a cushy feel.

THREE does a lot of skincare as well and per their website “The texture exclusive to LIP JAM adds ever-increasing dimension to the lips and brings fresh dewiness. With a distinguished ability to retain shape, the contours of the lips are beautifully maintained after hours of wear. The juicy texture is just like rich jam made by cooking down fruit juice. LIP JAM provides the lips with a new sensation, ensuring vibrant shades that bring solid expressions to the face and light translucence. The applicator shaped like a small spoon adorns the lips with an even and smooth layer for an attractive appearance.”

They also state “Newly formulated ingredient Cherry Extract* Glides on smoothly to hydrate, protect and preserve the health and beauty of delicate lips. Botanical oils include: tea seed oil, argan oil*, jojoba oil*, evening primrose oil*, rosehip oil*, shea butter*, beeswax*. * Certified organic ingredient.”

13 Silence Says is described as “This clear beige maximizes the beauty of the lips just as they are, as if it were melting into them.” It’s a medium shimmery nude with a hint of pink. The shimmer is subtle, seen more in the tube or in sunlight versus the lips. The shimmer is fine and is mostly gold and shades of pink, which enhances the nude shade, one shimmer color is not more prominent than another. The color is sheer but does add some tint to your lips.

14 Wear the Sunset is described as “This bright coral enlivens your mood and face, summoning your vitality.” It’s a shimmery medium coral with a hint of pink. The shimmer is a bit more noticeable in this one. It’s fine shimmer that’s gold and shades of coral. The gold shimmer is more prominent but still subtle overall. This one is sheer, but a bit more opaque than 13.

Sunlight to show shimmer better, Top 13, Bottom 14:

Top 13, Bottom 14:

Compared to #10 Moon Scream, which is the other shade I own, Silence Says is much more nude and lighter. The difference on the lips is subtle since they’re so sheer. Moon Scream adds a bit more rose pink tone to the lips while Silence Says adds a more nude tone. My favorites are definitely 10 & 13 as a your lips but better lover. I guess I would pick 13 Silence Says as my favorite of the three shades.

Top to Bottom: 10, 13, 14:

Sunlight:

THREE Lip Jam Moon Scream #10: Review & Swatches

THREE, a Japanese cosmetics brand, came out with some new Shimmering Lip Jams last year, I grabbed #10 or Moon Scream. I can only get this brand from Ichibankao in the US, or any Japanese custom buying site, check out my websites I shop at frequently page for more information. This is a 7g tube with a slightly curved sponge tip applicator and retails for about $34 on Ichibankao with the mark up.

The color is a sheer warmed browned rose with a hint of small pink and gold micro shimmer. It mostly looks like a sheer browned rose on the lips, and it’s pretty sheer, it adds a wash of color. The texture is fabulous, it’s almost jelly like texture, it’s non sticky and moisturizing. It’s not a high shine lip gloss, almost like a baume lip gloss hybrid. The fabulous texture makes up for it being so sheer, though I would love to see if the other shades were more pigmented. The other THREE lip glosses I tried in the past were very sheer as well, this has a slightly thicker much better texture and is a touch more pigmented. I would totally try another shade because of the great formula.

Swatches:

Top to Bottom: Charlotte Tilbury High Society Lip Lustre, THREE Lip Jam #10, Zelens Lip Glaze Nude, MAC Full on Lust Lip Glass:

THREE Cosmetics Shading Stick: Swatches & Review

I recently got into some contouring this last 2 months. I decided to try THREE a Japanese cosmetics brand I get of Ichibankao(at a significant markup) they have a shading wand. It is definitely smaller in person than I thought it would be, it’s like a slim lipstick. It’s 2.4g. It’s slimmer than my finger, about the same length as my middle finger oddly.

Sadly it’s perfect, I love the color and texture. Not too warm, not too cool. Blends easy but not too creamy. So far because I don’t use it enough it lasts but if I used it everyday it would go fast. It’s slim so it fits near the nose well. It does a good line under my cheekbones too. I would re buy it. I will hope one day someone like Beautylish picks up Addiction and THREE so I can stop paying for the markup.

THREE Cosmetics Blush #17 Wind Swept Soul: Review & Swatches

THREE cosmetics is a niche Japanese brand I get off Ichibankao. I heard their blushes were good and #17 seemed like a shade I would use. Swatches are hard to find online so it’s part guessing mostly. The blushes are small 4.5g, they are longer and thinner. They do not look like a type that is easy to depot like Addiction, but you may be able to do so with a flame etc.

#17 is a slightly shimmery but not overpowering neutral rose. It looks satin on and the shimmer is not too much. It’s silky and layerable. This particular color is not sheer, but it’s not really pigmented. It takes a few layers to show up on me. I do hate that larger blush brushes can’t fit into the pan, only my smaller Suqqu one fits, or you get a stripe on the brush because it’s narrow. They are also expensive for what you get. If maybe I didn’t get it with a markup it might not be bad, but for US people with no Japan hookups for custom purchases then it’s expensive. That and lack of swatches have made me not buy another.