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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

1 Comments

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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Beauty, Reviews

Review: Art Deco Glam Couture Eyeshadow

08/31/2013

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During the last time I went shopping at Beauty Bar, I purchased an eyeshadow from a relatively new brand: Art Deco. I was drawn to their GORGEOUS eyeshadows because of the beautiful engravings that they had! I found out that they were on sale too! The eyeshadows were priced at 562.50php from php750! I just couldn’t resist and I gave in. I decided to purchase the Art DEco Glam Couture Eyeshadow Art No. 18 Glam Precious Rose. There were 6 other colors, if I’m not mistaken.

What I Love

The eyeshadow is enclosed in a black plastic casing and it reminds me a lot of the packaging of MAC eyeshadows. Like its name, the shade is a gorgeous rosey champagne color. The engraved design on the eyeshadow is so intricate and pretty; it reminds me of how sea shells look like! The engraving reminds me of the engraved designs on MAC’s 2013 holiday collection as well, actually. The eyeshadows is laced with tiny shimmers (not the horrible chunky kind of glitter) and swatches beautifully. It’s very pigmented, feels like butter on my fingertips and transfers beautifully onto my lids! It lasted around 8 hours on my lids on top of a primer, give or take.

What I don’t like

The eyeshadow may be a bit too soft. The small damage that you can see on the eyeshadow was caused by my finger nail. After his mini accident, I’ve made a mental note to myself to be extra careful not to drop this baby.

Final Thoughts

This is such a gorgeous shade and I’m actually considering to purchase the other shades! I love how the shadow feels so luxurious on my fingertips and is such a dream to apply! It’s considerably cheaper than other high end brands yet it matches the performance of my high end eyeshadows. It’s something that I would use as an overall color on my lids or something that I’d use to highlight the tear ducts on my eyes. I love it!

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Beauty, Reviews

Review: theBalm Cabana Boy

08/28/2013

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I recently haven’t been going into Beauty Bar because I felt like the items there haven’t been being updated very much. I was with my girlfriend when I decided to take a chance and check out the items. I went to theBalm Cosmetics counter and swatched a couple of their products. TheBalm is known to be a considerably high end brand that sells affordable cosmetics. Ever since I fell in love with their bronzer, Bahama Mama, I’ve been wanting to try out their blushers. They had 3 blush selection but I went for the most peculiar shade of the three: Cabana Boy. The other two are Down Boy (cool pink) and Frat Boy (warm pink)

Product

Cabana Boy is raspberry colored pink that has a super tiny hint of shimmer in it. It’s housed in a no-fuss magnetic cardboard packaging. It has a considerably large mirror as well which I think is very useful. The design is very cute and it goes according to the retro theme of all theBalm cosmetics.

What I Like

This shade is very gorgeous and it suits my skin tone very well. The product itself is very silky and easy to apply. It is also very pigmented and I would recommend the use of a very light hand for a perfect rosey glow on the cheeks. Also, I got it for 20% off its original price (STEAL!!!I got the only one they had. hehe) because of a product packaging error. The mirror and the blusher got switched places but I really don’t mind because as a beauty blogger, I like trying out new things. I don’t think the actual product was compromised despite the packaging error. It costs $21 in the US and the original price here in the Philippines is Php850. The exchange rate as of today is 44.6 making the Cabana Boy Blush cost around Php 936.6 if you buy it in the States. I feel so proud of this purchase.HAHAHA. I got it for php637.50 by the way. :)

What I don’t like

I have nothing to say here!! THIS PRODUCT IS SUCH A STEAL.

Swatches

Final Thoughts

I really like this blush! It’s something that I can wear everyday and I can see that it can wear well on both fair-skinned and tanned women. Plus, this is the first time that I’m going to say this. It’s actually cheaper to buy it here than in the States! Good job, Beauty Bar! :)

xoxo,

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Beauty, Reviews

Unboxing: Avon Special Edition Glamourbox

08/20/2013

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Hi everyone!

I know this is quite late since half of the month has passed. I’ve been a bit busy but I’ve finally gotten the chance to write down my thoughts on Glamourbox’s special edition Avon box. I was really excited when I received this box because it’s my first beauty box subscription. I’m glad that I was able to see some reviews on the box before I decided to take the plunge and purchase this box too. :) The box arrived a few days right after I placed my order which was very nice. Anyway, let’s dig in to the box and see what’s inside! :D I will be reviewing the box in general and will be writing individual reviews for most, if not all the products in the box on my future posts.

I was so excited to receive such a pretty, chic and simple white box. I’d like to note that the box is well-made and sturdy. I’ll be using it again to put miscellaneous stuff (it would be such a waste to throw this pretty box away)!

The box includes a whopping total of 12 items; 6 of which are FULL SIZED products while 6 of which are sample sized items:

Avon True Color Eye Shadow Quad in purple pop P449

This is a gorgeous eyeshadow quad and it’s the same quad that I used for my Avon You Make It Beautiful Blogger Challenge. I enjoy using colors like these but I think more people would be drawn to a neutral palette. :)

Avon Ideal Luminous Blush in Peach (P370)

This is a gorgeous shade! At first glance, it reminds me of NARS orgasm. Wait for me review on this and you’ll find out if this is a dupe for NARS orgasm.

Avon Skin Goodnes Moisturizing BB Cream SPF2-++/PA in shade o2 (P420)

I’m on a lookout for a new BB cream so I got really excited when I saw that the box contained a BB cream. :) This was a little bit dark for me but I’ll review this further on a separate blog post.

Avon Anew Vitale Day Cream (p399)

I’m also really into skin care right now so I’m excited to try out this moisturizer! :)

From top to bottom: Avon supershock waterproof mascara in Black (p420), Avon Ultra Color Lipstick in Hibiscus (p379) and Avon Ultra Glazewear Lip Gloss in Fiery Red (p299)

This mascara was in my kit for Avon’s You Make It Beautiful Blogger Challenge so I already had a chance to try it out. I’ll probably give it to a friend of mine to try out. :) What I was most excited about in this box is the Avon Ultra Color Lipstick in Hibiscus and Avon Ultra Glazewear Lip Gloss in Fiery Red because I LOOOVED the lip products that I was able to try from my kit in the blogger challenge I recently participated int. I’m glad that the lipstick and gloss that was included in this box are a bit similar shade-wise so they can be used together. :)

The box also included 2 sample sized Ultra Color Rich Mega Lipstick in Charged Cherry and Ultra Moisture Rich Moisture Seduction lipstick in Red Kiss. The boxed contained four more sample sized products which where the Anew Genics Treatment Concentrate, Anew Genics Cream, and the Anew Genics Eye Cream. I wasn’t able to take a photo of these because my camera ran out of battery. </3

Final Thoughts

Wow. This is an excellent box considering the huge amount of products that it contained! For only 595 pesos, you get an astonishing amount of P2316 worth of products!!! What’s more exciting about this is that the products that come in this box are the same products from their LATEST collection. This box is perfect for Avon newbies who want to try out a wide range of Avon in one go and also for Avon lovers who want to try out products from Avon’s latest makeup line. This box has a great selection of beauty products. The products range from skincare to items that give you a full makeup look– his box has got you covered! I heard that they still have a couple of stocks left! Grab one while you still can. :)

Subscribe to Glamourbox Philippines now! :)

xoxo,

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Beauty, Reviews

Review: Ben Nye Banana Powder

07/17/2013

2 Comments

I found out about the Ben Nye Banana Powder when I was taking up my certificate course in make-up at MUD. My teacher, Ms. Georginna Desuasido recommended the Ben Nye Luxury Banana Powder as a nice finishing powder. I decided to try it out. Right about the time that I bought my bottle, I started noticing that the product was selling like hot cakes on my Facebook and Instagram feed. I decided to check it out and I found this photo:

OH MY GOSH. I found a lot of images online but I think that this is the best photo that could explain why the Ben Nye Banan powder is so popular right now! I’m pretty sure both Kim K fans and haters who will see this photo is most likely going to buy themselves a bottle of this “miracle” powder. Scroll down to hear my thoughts on the product! :)

Product

The product is a yellow based translucent powder that is housed in a clear plastic white bottle/jar. It doesn’t look like the usual setting powder that you are used to seeing because there is nothing glamorous about its packaging. I’m not really complaining about the packaging because I think the packaging adds to it’s no non-sense charm though. The Ben-Nye luxury powder coms in different shades but the most famous shade is in Banana.

What I love:

Don’t be intimidated by the yellow tinted powder because it actually blends very nicely into the skin. The yellow tint allows the face to look healthy unlike some powders that leave a white cast on the face.

I have some oily spots on my face and this powder sets those oily spots so well that it can keep my face from being oily for more than 8 hours.
The powder itself is so finely milled. It feels like a luxury powder indeed.
I noticed that the luxury powders that are being sold online are so expensive! I was able to buy my bottle of the Banana Luxury Powder (1.5 oz.) at Pure Beauty (Serendra) for only php 500.
I’m quite satisfied with the amount of powder that I have for the price of php 500. My Laura Mercier Loose Translucent powder costs around PHP1800 and only has around 1 oz worth of product.

What I don’t Like:

none!

Extra Thoughts/Comments:

Initially, I was about to deliver bad reviews on this product because I didn’t feel like the powder highlighted my face at all. The photo of Kim K. above shows how superbly this powder highlights the face. I refused to be disappointed in this product and I finally thought of a logical explanation to make myself feel better. The powder was able to highlight Kim K’s face so nicely because she has darker skin than me. It didn’t do any highlighting for me because it blends in with my skin tone so well! My conclusion is that this powder can work for both fair skinned and colored women. It can be a setting powder for fair skinned women. It can be a highlighter AND setting powder for the morenas.
I can imagine that a lot of people complain about the packaging. I think that it’s packaged in that way because the manufacturer of the powder initially had make up artists in mind when they packaged the product. It can also explain why the packaging has a “no fuss and non non-sense” vibe. As an aspiring makeup artist, I appreciate the packaging because I can easily pour a bit of powder onto a tissue or a plate and apply. I like it for its hygienic purposes. :)

Swatches

Final Thoughts

I really like this powder and would consider repurchasing. This is a good setting powder for both fair skinned women and morenas. This wouldn’t much highlighting for fair skinned women though. It best used as a highlighter on morenas. :) I like it because it an affordable luxury powder and it does it’s job impeccably. :)

That’s it for now! I’d love to hear your thoughts on the comments below! <3

xoxo,

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Beauty, Reviews

Review: K-Palette 1-Day Tattoo Real Lasting Eye Pencil

06/30/2013

Review: Etude House Color My Brows in 1 and 2

06/24/2013

1 Comments

I recently had a friend of mine who asked me for advice on what brow product she could use to match her light brown hair color. Her hair color is very similar to mine which is why it was kind of easy to answer her question. Her question got me to thinking that I never got to put up a review on my current go-to product for tinting my brows. I’ve been using this product for months now and I think it’s perfect for those who have lightly colored hair like me.

forgive my Etude house Color My Brows shade in number 2. As I said, I’ve been using it almost every day for months now and the logo it initially had has already faded away.

When I took my certificate course at MUD, I decided to purchase another shade so as to cater to the brown haired girl who will be on my makeup chair. :) So now I have the product in shades 1 and 2. 1 is the shade on the left and 2 is the shade on the right.

Product

From the name Color My Brows, the product is an eyebrow tint that has a gel to cream-like consistency. Shade number one is light chocolate brown shade while shade number two is a light brown shade with a touch of semi-orange hues. Both shades have really tiny flecks of shimmer in them. and The product is quite small and is about the length of my palm. It has diamond shaped applicator made of natural bristles.

What I Love:

Since it is common for women to have brown or dark hair, I use the shade 1 as an eyebrow gel to keep eyebrows in place.
Shade number 2 is perfect for my hair color because it matches my light hair color superbly.
The small size of the brush is perfect for those who have thin and barely there eyebrows like me. i think it’s better to have small brushes then big ones because girls with fuller brows can benefit small brushes as well. Girl with thin brows however may have a hard time using big brush applicators.
I like that they packaged the brow tints in a way that it is easy for people to identify the color of the brow tint. The shades of the brow tints match their packaging.
I’ve been using this almost everyday for roughly six months now and I still haven’t run out of the product.
It’s quite affordable at around PHP360.

What I don’t like:

It’s sole purpose for me is to tint my brows. It doesn’t really fill in brows which is why I use my Face Shop retractable pencil to fill in my brows.
It doesn’t last all day on me. When I apply it in the morning, I find that it fades after around 11 hours of wearing time. I don;
I don’t mind reapplying though! :)

When Worn:

me wearing the shade 2

Final Thoughts

I think this is a cheap alternative to the high-end brow tints. It’s cheap AND effective. I recommend this to those who need brow tints to match their hair color to their eyebrows because hair and eyebrows that don’t match are a no-no! :) Just kidding. Well I just personally find it more pleasing to the eyes when a person’s hair and brow color match.