Today I have a very special guest post by my good friend Sefie, who was kind enough to review an entire product range~ It’s an awesome read and I hope you enjoy!

Pros:

• Evens out skin tone, including minor blemishes
• SPF 20 in day moisturiser
• No scent and quick absorption into skin

Cons:

• SPF is zinc-based, leaving skin a little shiny
• Is not particularly hydrating, does nothing for dry skin
• Does not work on darker blemishes
• Not recommended for tanned skin

Rating: Overall 3.5 out of 5 stars

Price:

Pure White Cleanser $60.30 125g
Pure White Toner $60.30 150ml
Pure White Moisturiser I $79.55 100ml
Pure White Essence $103.60 30ml
Pure White Night Creme $79.55 50g

Where: Online order through specialised contacts

Disclaimer – products provided for my consideration

I mentioned to a friend of mine that I was in the market for a new facial moisturiser, and she gave me a sample pack of the Artistry Pure White series to try out. This series includes a day moisturiser, toner, cleanser, night cream and “essence” (serum). This is their best-selling product in Japan, and was formulated especially for Asian skin, so she wanted to see how I went with it.

Since I actually have quite tanned Asian skin (MAC NC42), I didn’t expect too much from this series. However, after just a week of using it, I noticed that my dark blemishes had lightened, and my general skin tone was evening out. After a couple of weeks, I had gotten a bit less vigilant with using it both day and night, and my skin did start returning to a more uneven colour. Nothing like that to remind you to keep up a steady skincare routine!

However, I didn’t notice any actual “lightening” or “whitening” of my skin. I’ve tried many other whitening products (both from Asian and Australian brands), and my biggest complaint about those tend to be either a strong chemical smell, or my skin drying out. The Artistry products don’t have any perfume that I can smell, and while they don’t do anything for dry skin patches (I got a cold, and now my nose is red and peeling from all the sneezing), they don’t hurt it either. If you do have eczema or particularly dry skin, I’d still recommend using a hydrating moisturiser over this stuff.

My favourite individual product out of this line is the Pure White Essence (4 out of 5 stars). This can be applied either day or night (or both) underneath your moisturiser, and is intended to be applied on specific areas that you want to target. I could see a difference in just a couple of days, but you really do need to keep applying it to maintain the effect. It is also the most expensive product of the line (RRP $103.60 for 30ml), but it will last just about forever since you only apply it to problem areas.

The Pure White Toner is also quite good at removing bits of makeup that you might have missed, as well as a refreshing pick-me-up. It doesn’t leave your skin feeling dry, I’ve even managed to go without re-applying moisturiser after using the toner a couple of times.

I am least fond of the Daily Moisturiser I (3 out of 5 stars), only because of the lack of extra hydration. However, I do have quite dry skin, and they have a different formulation (Type II) that is more moisturising, and would probably be better suited for me. The shininess bothers me a little as well, but not many face creams in general can provide a reasonable level of SPF without using zinc. If you wear foundation or powder, this cuts down the shine. The Night Cream and Cleanser do not particularly stand out for me either way.

Packaging is sturdy, minimalistic plastic tubes or bottles, meaning you don’t have to dip your fingers directly into the product.

Out of this series, I would probably buy the Pure White Essence, since I believe it provides the best value for money out of the entire range, as well as being flexible enough to use with other skin care products. Personally, I’ve bought more products from their Hydrating Products and cosmetics lines, so look out for more reviews there!

If you are interested in Artistry products, including other lines such as Time Defiance or Essentials Alpha Hydroxy Serum, please contact Anna at irwinschutze@gmail.com

Sirene here~ Today I have an extra special treat for you all, a guest post from one of my closest friends Sefie~ I hope you enjoy her post, I know I sure did! <3

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Hi there! It’s Sefie, the other half of 1Up Makeup. I also blog at Sefie Eats, writing about how I nom through life as best as I can!

In late April this year, my absolute makeup hero, Napoleon Perdis, launched his first book, Forever Flawless. Unfortunately, Sirene was stuck at work, so I made it my duty to go to the book signing session at Chadstone Shopping Centre.

I love Napoleon, not just because I think his products are great, but because he’s the first (and pretty much only) Australian in the high-end cosmetics market. He’s always come across as funny, approachable, and extremely confident, which is how I feel when I put effort into applying my makeup. He also caters for the middle-level consumer with his NP Set range, which focuses more on palettes and smaller sizes of products, which allows you to try and play with makeup without dropping an absolute ton of money on it.

My first and favourite NP product is the China Doll foundation (Shade 4). Some people criticise NP foundation as having yellow tones, but with my darker Asian skin, this matches me perfectly. While I now use MAC Studio Fix (NC42) or BB cream as my everyday foundations, China Doll is my choice for photoshoots. It almost never goes shiny, and dries to a lovely matte finish, even when I’m too rushed or lazy to put powder on. My NP Set 10 Colour Eyeshadow Palette is my everyday palette, with Two Faced Eyeshadow Insurance to make it last all day.

Okay, enough ads, onto the book signing!

I got advance notice of the book signing from the NP mailing list, and I could not pass up the opportunity to meet my hero face-to-face. I was a little disappointed that it was being held at Target rather than the actual concept shop, but I suppose it would have been a lot more difficult for security to handle. I was surprised to see Anne-Marie Biggar (in pic) MCing the event, but she did a fairly good job of keeping the line moving and entertaining the general crowd. I got there about an hour early, and there were already about 30 people there. Within half an hour, there was already nearly 100 people! Which was lucky, because only the first 100 people got a free gift pack… which was kind of crap, to be honest. $5 Target gift card, pair of footless tights, 3 mini NP nail polishes (leftover Christmas packaging… in April…) and a sample sachet of NP Auto Pilot foundation – in a crinkly paper bag. On the other hand, the best thing in the gift bag was the comfiest grey T-shirt I have ever worn! Another big plus was that the book itself was 35% off, making it only $26AUD.

Finally getting Sirene’s and my books signed. I also got a chance to gush about how much I love China Doll, and he thanked me for giving him specific feedback!

Mwaaaaa~

So, as for the book itself. The photography, of course, is typical NP style. Minimal background, clean faces and slick hair, and no celebrities at all, just “real” people. It was written to promote the NP Set series, and to be honest, it’s quite heavy on the specific product recommendations. Savvy makeup fans will be able to dupe or use products they already have, but if you’re that savvy, you probably know 90% of what’s in the book already. There’s nothing particularly surprising in it, unless you’re still putting on concealer underneath your foundation. However, it is also full of positive messages about body image, and using makeup to enhance your features, rather than to cover them up, or use it as a crutch. Beginning MUAs might also find it a good starting point, especially if you don’t have much experience with people in other age groups (especially older women). And, of course, the fact that it was so much cheaper and signed by Napoleon himself means that this book has a treasured place on my bookshelf.

I hope you enjoyed this guest post, and thanks to my darling Sirene for letting me gush on. Love love~
- Sefie