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Beauty, Reviews

Review: Hourglass Ambience Lighting Palette

01/22/2014

4 Comments

I know, I’m late but it would be such a shame NOT to write a reviews about this treasure! This beaut was released as part of Hourglass’s holiday collection. It was so hyped all over the online beauty community. I’ve also been hearing a lot of good things about the individual powders but they are CRAY expensive at $45 (P2000) a piece! The moment I found out that I was going to finally be able to try these luxurious powders that everyone has been raving about, I lost my reasoning and asked my grandpa to get it for me. *side note: my grandpa always does my makeup hauling for me when he goes to the States and gives them to me as gifts!* Getting to try three shades, one of them being a limited edition shade sealed the deal for me. It also comes with a tiny tube of primer called the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer (0.16 0z.).

Packaging

The beautiful limited edition palette comes in an equally beautiful packaging (which I forgot to take a photo of, darn!). The palette itself is made up of plastic. The palette looked like some kind of metal from the photos online and I assumed that it was heavy because it looked heavy. I was a bit surprised at how light it was in person. I was expecting it to be along the lines of Guerlain lipsticks which quite heavy, The price of the entire palette is certainly not cheap at $58 (P2627.4). I guess some would like the palette to be lightweight for travel purposes but I’d personally want it to be heavier to make it a bit more durable. I also don’t like how the surface is a fingerprint magnet.

Product

The idea of these powders is genius! These powders are designed to recreate how your skin looks under various types of lighting that are most flattering to the skin. Some would think that the idea sounds too ambitious but these powders have a huge base of followers which makes me think that Hourglass might be doing something right.

The palette comes with three shades: Dim Light, Incandescent Light (limited edition), and Radient Light.

from left to right: dim light, incandescent light, radiant light

Dim Light: This shade is the only matte shade in the palette. It described as a ” nude peach beige powder that blurs out imperfections and highlights the complexion.” I would use this as an overall finishing powder.

Incandescent Light: Among the three powders, this shade has the most shimmer in it. It’s described as “an opalescent pearl powder that brighten the complexion with a celestial glow.” This looks like an ordinary highlighter with very fine shimmer, the flattering kind. I apply this on the top of my cheek bones and on the bridge of my nose.

Radiant Light: This shade reminds me of a very subtle bronzer. It’s described as a “sun-kissed golden beige powder” that is designed to add warmth to the skin. I apply this on the apple of my cheeks. This reminds me of a bronzer but I don’t think it’s pigmented enough for contouring. It really does add warmth to my skin.

Used all together, these powders breathe life to my pale skin. At first it was difficult to notice major differences when I applied the powders on my face. However, I noticed how my skin looked like it was glowing form within. None of these powders are too pigmented. They all have a really subtle way to make my skin look radiant.

Is it worth it?

Each powder is 0.116 oz, and the palette has a total of 0.35 oz (P2627.3). A full sized compact is at 0.35 oz (P2000). As you can see, the palette is a lot more expensive than the individual powders and the added weight of mini powders amounts to one full sized powder. Personally, I think this palette is worth it when it comes to being able to try 3 powders in one go but not really worth it value-for-money wise.

I think that the effect of these powders can still be achieved by different powders. However, I really love this palette because of the way it makes my skin look. *I’m in love.*

In the end, it depends on what you value more: being able to try 3 powders in one go or getting a value packed palette. This palette is perfect for me because I’ve never owned any Ambient Lighting Powders. Now, I don’t have to keep on wondering whether these constantly raved powders are really amazing or not. I probably won’t be purchasing any more of these powders for a while though.

Availability

They are available but currently out of stock on the Hourglass Website.

xoxo,

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Beauty, Reviews

Review: Avon Ultra Glimmerstick Lip Liner

12/11/2013

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I have to admit, I haven’t always been a fan of lip liners and they aren’t really a part of my makeup routine. I used to think that they were old fashioned and not really worth the extra step when it comes to doing my makeup. I only have a few minutes to do my makeup on a daily basis because I always wake up late for school (oops) so I usually have do it SUPER quickly! The few times I use lip liners is when I go for bold red lips. However, being the makeup lover that I am, I got really excited when I got to play with the Avon Ultra Glimmerstick Lip Liners from Avon. I received the ff: Pink Bouquet, Peach Envy, Red Brick.

Product

These pencils look like any other pencil liners in the market. I don’t think people can make more innovations when it comes to lip liners anyway. Each pencil costs P250 and contains 0.28g each. I like that each pencil indicates its color near the end of the pencil. The pencil is retractable which is also nice.

What I Love

The colors of these pencils are beautiful and wearable. Pink Bouquet is a beautiful pink shade, Peach Envy is a peachy nude shade while Red Brick is literally a brick red shade. The shades are color true to what you see one the pencil. I like that these are retractable which is perfect for girls who are always on the go and who don’t got time for sharpening. I hate having to sharpen my eyeliners. Imagine having to sharpen an eye or lip pencil and having to look for a trash can to dispose the shavings.

from left to right: peach envy, pink bouquet, and red brick

I also enjoyed applying these pencils on my lips because they are very creamy and glide on easily. The quality of these pencils are simply superb. Applied by themselves, the finished look is similar to a matte lipstick. It is best to apply a lipstick or a gloss though because lipliners are really supposed to be applied as a base to lipsticks and lipglosses. I also like that the lip liners make my lips look fuller and let my lipsticks stay on longer. Lastly, these lip liners also help intensify the colors of lipsticks!

What I don’t like

I find these lip liners to be a bit small than the usual lip liners. My Nyx lip liner pencils are about 1G each and cost only $3.50 (153.61). I don’t really mind paying a few pesos more for these though because of all the good things I just said above.

On Me

pink bouquet

Avon glazewear vitaluscious lipgloss renewing rose on top of pink bouquet

peach envy

Avon glazewear vitaluscious lipgloss rose flush on top of peach envy

red brick

Avon glazewear vitaluscious lipgloss reviving red on top of red brick

Final Thoughts

For those of you who are like me who have not been using liners ever, these liners might be a good place to start. The quality of these liners are quite excellent which makes these pencils worth trying. I have to admit that I still don’t have time to apply these everyday however I think I can squeeze in a minute or two for these lovelies on days that I have more time to do my makeup.

xoxo,

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Beauty, Reviews

Review: OCC Lip Tars

12/03/2013

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OCC Lip Tars have been around for quite a while now. I had the opportunity to use them during my short stint as a student in MUD and I loved how the pigments of each shade really pop on the lips. After I finished my course, I decided to purchase my first two occ lip tars from Pure Beauty in Serendra. The shades I picked were demure (bright fuschia pink) and hoochie (deep magenta). Demure is a really loud color and is a nice pop of color to a clean face while hoochie isn’t something I’d wear everyday.

right: demure; left: hoochie

Product

The lip tars are unlike any other lip products in the market. They have the intense color pay off from lipsticks and have the glossy quality of lip glosses. The formula is a but runny so make sure to squeeze a TINY amount on a palette of any sort and use a lip brush to apply it on your lips. Forget about applying these directly from the tube unless you want to look like a a 5 year old gone mad with her mommy’s makeup. They also tend to feather so applying a lip liner beforehand would be helpful to avoid feathering.

They used to be contained in horrible packaging which ends imminently in a disastrous colorful mess. Imagine having to apply pigmented and runny liquid from a tube similar to Lancome’s Juicy tubes. *The horror* I know this because I’ve seen pictures of the old packaging online and I just imagined how difficult it must have been for some people to apply it. Good thing they now have a new packaging. They are still contained in tubes but they now have a tiny tip at the end of the tube which allows small amounts of product to come out. Each tube has around 1oml worth of product and costs P715 each at Purebeauty. It costs $18 online (P786) which is weird but nice to know!

What I love

First of all, people against animal testing might find it interesting to know that these are 100% vegan and cruelty free. The shades are incredibly pigmented and pretty much true to their colors inside the tube. The packaging is very efficient because you can easily reach out for the color that you like. You need an incredibly tiny dot of product to coat your lips and the tip is perfect for this. I don’t know how I’ll be able to use these up knowing that I already have a ton of lip products. They have a satin finish which is also nice. Those who love minty flavors on their lip products will enjoy these because they have a hint of mint in them. These also come in a wide array of colors. Makeup artists love using these because OCC offers these in the weirdest yet surprisingly useful colors. They last around 8 hour son my lips, however I find that these stain my lips a bit.

What I don’t like

The formula is a bit runny and applying a tad bit too much will cause it to feather on the corners of the lips. They can be a bit messy which is why I always make sure to wipe off the tip of my lip tars after using them.

OCC Lips Tars on me

demure

hoochie

hoochie

Final Thoughts and Recommendations

These have been well loved by makeup enthusiasts and makeup artists alike and now I know why! They are a bit on the pricey side but I do find them to be worth my money. I’m so happy to have these gems in my makeup kit. Demure is something I can wear however I bought hoochie because I found it to be a unique color and thought it would be handy in my future makeup gigs. Purebeauty seems to sell them at a really good price to I would suggest that you purchase your lip tars there.

xoxo,

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Beauty, Reviews

Guerlain Lingerie de Peau Beauty Booster Light

11/26/2013

Review: Avon Glazewear Vitaluscious Lipgloss

11/20/2013

Makeup Workshop with Avon’s Global Celbrity Makeup Artist Lauren Andersen

09/30/2013

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Finals week is a few days away which means that my professors have been cramming a lot of their final requirements in the few weeks left before finals week. Because of this, I was unable to blog (boo.</3). But now, I have finally risen from the ashes brought about by hell week (ashes because of the fire in hell week..get it? HAHA. I tried) and ready to blog again! :)

Before I begin talking about my super starstruck moment with Avon’s Global makeup artist Lauren Andersen, I would just like to thank all of you who voted for me to be part of Avon’s Makeup Council of Beauty Bloggers! It is such a wonderful opportunity to be able to try out and talk about their products and I promise to be honest with all my reviews, after all, reviewing products is my passion. I would also like to give a special mention to the boyfriend. HEHE. He’s always been supporting me with all the activities that I pursue. He knew how much this meant to me and did his best to help me ask for people to vote for me. <3

Being accepted to be part of Avon’s makeup council gave us the privilege to be able to attend Avon’s Global Makeup Artist workshop in Sofitel Manila. Lauren Andersen is Avon’s newest global ambassador and she has been known to have worked with the likes of Jessica Alba, Nicole Ritchie, and Ginnifer Goodwin. She shared with us about her encounters with the brand even when she was a little girl because her mom was an Avon lady. I think it’s amazing how she’s able to reconnect with her roots by now representing the global brand!

We were given a wide array of colorful products from Avon’s LATEST collection to play with on makeup our table. Before the workshop, Lauren and Avon’s scientist, Lisa talked about how the whole collection was a product of 2-3 years of extensive research. They made sure of taking consumer input into consideration when they were formulating the entire collection. Because of this, their newest collection features new packaging, 13 new lipstick shades infused with shea butter and SPF, eyeshadow palettes with number to guide users — all of which are color true, meaning that what see you from the tube/pan is what you get. Lastly, they carefully picked shades to be able to highlight different skin tones.

Lauren worked on a fair skinned woman and a morena to be able to cater to all the skin tones of women in attendance of the event. After, she gamely answered each one of the questions of the audience. I asked her what her go-to daily routine was and she told me that she likes going for a bold lip.

I wasn’t able to pay attention to the whole workshop because I was so engrossed with all the makeup that I was able to explore! That and because my seat mate, Shari, was such a fun seat mate! I remember coming across her blog and I always remember pretty blogs with equally pretty pictures which is why I embarrassingly asked her, “Are you the misty mom?” when I first met her. HAHAHA. I found out that she used to go to the university that I currently go to which was FAB, and we couldn’t stop chitchatting about anything under the sun–beauty related, of course! :)

Selfie with Sharie. <3 Because we, beauty bloggers are selfie-taking experts!

The best part of the event was being able to meet Lauren up close and personal and being able to chat with her for a good 10 minutes! *fan girl moment* I am an aspiring makeup artist and I asked her for recommendations on good beauty schools in the States. She told me that she was self-taught and that really had to work hard in marketing herself to be able to reach the place where she is now. She also gave me a super useful tip. She told me that it might be a good idea to apprentice under a famous makeup artist because she was able to do the same. Hearing her tips has given me new insight on how to be able to pursue the career that I want in life. THANK YOU, AVON PHLIPPINES FOR THIS AMAAZING OPPORTUNITY!!! <3

I was too starstruck to get my camera out. :))

I was also able to meet a lot of my fellow makeup council members as we were all introduced as part of Avon’s Makeup Council which was so fun! Again, thank you Avon Philippines for this amazing opportunity!

I got to bring home a WHOLE LOT OF GOODIES. <3 I have my eye on the lipsticks!!! Watch out for my review coming up soon. ;)

Before I end, I’d like to share my FOTD:

This post is getting a bit too long; this is it for now! :) Thank you for reading!! <3

xoxo,

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Beauty, Reviews

Review: Guerlain Rouge G L’Extrait in COLÈRE

09/18/2013

3 Comments

My first experience with a liquid lipstick didn’t go very well. It was from Stila and it was so awful. It feathered out, never dried properly on my lips, and was just a pain in the neck to use. It would suffice to say that because of that experience, I never really bothered to try out any other liquid lipsticks since. I never though I’d be able to persuade myself into buying a liquid lipstick again until one fateful day when I chanced upon the Guerlain beauty counter at Rockwell and I found out that they were having a sale: 30% off on all of their products. Being the makeup addict that I was, I literally went crazy trying out almost all their products. I’m a college student living on a college-student allowance so I never though I’d be able to purchase my first designer makeup piece so soon. I was checking out the solid lipsticks at first, and then at the last minute, I chanced upon the liquid lipsticks. I swatched and I swatched and…What can I say? It was love at first application. :)

I have so many things to say about this lippie. Let’s start with the packaging. The liquid lipstick is encased in a gorgeous metal tube that reminds me of a bullet. The tube itself is silvery gold in color. It is quite heavy and for the heavy price tag that it comes with but I’m not complaining. It doesn’t feel flimsy at all but it’s quite the finger print magnet. Holding the lipstick give me a whole new experience; I love that it feels so luxurious in my hands. It’s the type of lipstick that would make you want to keep on applying touch-ups in the public. Opening it was quite easy: you just have to pull the cap and twist and a super handy mirror opens. Now getting the product to close was a challenge and it took me quite a while to get a hang of it. For a minute, I though I was going to break it. ha di ha.

Next, let’s talk about the shade. There’s something about Guerlain that makes me imagine red lips when I think about Guerlain. Despite the growing number of red lippies in my collection, I just knew that I had to get a red shade for my first ever Guerlain purchase. I found a gorgeous dark plum shade that looked like it came from the high end fashion magazines out there. I joked around with Josh (the boyfriend), if he’d still love me if I purchased the shade. He said yes. haha! It was good to know that he’d support my bold makeup choices but I finally went with a seemingly classic red shade with a twist.

I purchased the shade, COLÈRE because I felt like it was a red that I’d be more comfortable wearing even on a normal basis as opposed to my first choice. Colère is a bright red shade with a hint of orange in it. The shade is so unique that it almost looks like it has bits of neon in it when it’s under yellow light. Its very opaque; one swipe is enough. It has a doe foot applicator which makes application a breeze. The best part of this liquid lipstick for me is its incredibly moisturizing formula. The consistency of the lipstick is very creamy and it feels SO LIGHT on my lips when it dried out. My dry lips did not experience any cracking despite the lipstick being a matte formula. It takes a few minutes before it dries but I fast forward the process by patting on some translucent powder on my lips.

Final Thoughts

This has been by far my most expensive lipstick purchase ever; it is most definitely a memorable purchase for me because it IS my first designer brand makeup purchase. I know that it’s not so easy to shell out 2,500 pesos for a lipstick because you can buy a lot with P2,500. I can buy a high end foundation and more with P2,500. The quality of the lipstick rightfully matches the price.Personally, I do think that this lipstick is worth my money and I’m really glad with my purchase. I guess it’s just really for some people who are willing to shell out that kind of money for a lipstick but it’s completely understandably for those who aren’t willing to do so. I think the fact that I was able to snag this for Php1,700 soften the blow on my wallet. haha. I think this purchase has lit up the spark with my secret love affair with high-end brands and I hope I get to try out more in the future. :)

xoxo,

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Beauty, Reviews

Review and Announcement: Revlon Colorstay Concealer

09/10/2013

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Hi everyone!

I’m back with a review and an announcement! :) Are you ready for the announcement? *DRUM ROLL PLEASE!*

I am on BEAUTYBOOK.PH !!They are an online beauty website based in the Philippines and they contacted me to write for them. I was surprised, happy, and honored when I heard the news and gladly accepted! I wrote an article entitled, “Perfect Concealer Techniques For This Cray Cray Season”. It’s actually a tutorial! Check out my article (omg I can’t believe I’m typing this) here!

Now, for my review! I decided to write a full review on the concealer that I used in my article. Scroll down for the full review. :)

I always do a celebratory happy dance in my head when I discover excellent quality makeup products in the drug store/Watsons. Revlon has been a consistent drug store favorite of mine which is why I decided to check out their concealers when I was looking for a new one. The Revlon Colorstay Concealer stood out when I swatched it because it looked very promising, and I decided to give it a try.

Product

It is a liquid concealer that is encased in a small cylindrical bottle with a doe foot applicator. I like the applicator because it makes application a breeze—it’s so easy to just dab the concealer on various areas on my face. The downside to the applicator is that it isn’t as hygienic as I would want it to be. It’s not nice to know that I can dab it on my acne and then transfer the germs from my acne into the tube. For the germaphobes you can just transfer the product onto your clean hands or a mixing plate (if you have one) and then apply directly on your skin. I don’t really have the patience to do my suggestion, so I’ll just use my fingers to apply the concealer when I have to apply it on acne.

Since it is a liquid concealer, the coverage is from light to medium coverage. I especially like this concealer because it’s a bit thicker than most liquid concealers and concealers with thicker consistencies can cover up dark circles more efficiently. Since it is a bit on the thicker side, those who have aging skin or dry skin should make sure to hydrate their face using moisturizer to be able to blend this concealer more flawlessly. I don’t particularly have any problems in blending this concealer and I actually find it quite easy to blend. Also, you only need to dab small amounts of the concealer to be able to cover blemishes and imperfections up.

For only P795 pesos, you get a bottle that has 6.2ml worth of product. It isn’t exactly the cheapest concealer in the drug store but I think it’s a great bang for your buck.

Bare faced

with Revlon Colorstay Light 02 on my face

Final Thoughts

This is a great everyday concealer for those who are looking for an affordable concealer that performs excellently as well. Since it is a liquid concealer, it does have it’s limitations. It best used under the eyes and on minor imperfections around the face. If you have really bad acne or skin problems, this probably wouldn’t be the concealer for you. Nonetheless, I love it and I’ve foudn myself reaching for this on a daily basis.

xoxo,

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