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Beauty, Reviews

Review: Clinique Cheek Pop Peach Pop

08/05/2014

9 Comments

I have to admit, I always thought of Clinique as a mommy-and-granny-brand because I first came to know about Clinique by going through my mom and grandma’s makeup as a little girl. When I came to love makeup as a teen, I found Clinique’s products quite boring but it was until not-so-recently when they came up with their famous chubby sticks when it finally hopped on my radar again. Their chubby sticks began a chubby stick frenzy! High-end makeup brands and drugstore brands alike have created their version of the Clinique Chubby sticks, which I think is quite brilliant! I think Clinique has successfully rebranded itself by releasing more products that can appeal to a younger market. One of the latest products that have really caught my eye is their super adorable Clinique Cheek Pops.

I think there are really some products that are designed to look so pretty and dainty and thus become too good to pass up. The same can be said for Clinique’s poppy blushes! Damn it, I hate to say it but when faced with a really adorable product, I have the ability to lose all reason and buy stunning products like these without really considering the other factors such as pigmentation, etc. *hides in embarrassment*

Anyway, judging from the packaging itself, one can already tell how beautifully made the product is. The packaging itself is very sturdy. The design is so clean and simple but the intricate carving of the daisy in the blusher is definitely the show stealer. The simple packaging of the product allows the blush carving to truly shine.

Shade

The shade is chose is peach pop. It’s a fun peach shade with tiny traces of gold shimmer shot through the product. I think that these kinds of blushes that have just the right amount of shimmer are perfect for that glowy-cheeks-effect. It’s fun, youthful, but not over the top. It’s a perfect every day shade and is very wearable. I have quite a number of peachy/coral blushers already but I’ve realized that these kinds of shades suit me best. I’d rather have something I can wear all the time than a unique shade that I can wear once in a blue moon. I think that this would look nice on both fair skinned and tan skinned girls because it’s such a versatile shade.

Pigmentation, Texture, Longevity

The color can be easily picked up by a swipe of a finger. However, its level of pigmentation is a bit muted out when applied with a brush because it comes across sheerer on the skin. Upon first application, it looks like it’s barely even there but you can definitely still get a more pigmented shade come across your skin with some building up.

The texture is soft, smooth and silky. I heard from a lot of people that they the texture to be similar to cream blushes but I beg to differ. Although the texture is very smooth and finely milled, I don’t find it similar to cream blushes at all. Cream blushes from experience are well, creamy while I still notice the powder component of this blush compared to its creaminess. I actually like that it’s not creamy like a cream blush because cream blushes can be difficult to work with if you have a heavy hand. These powder blushes however glide on the skin evenly and blend easily.

These last from 6-8 hours depending on the weather and atmospheric condition I’m in and with minimal fading.

Final Thoughts

I really love this blush and although it can be more pigmented, its subtle shade makes it impossible to overdo the application of this blush. It gives off beautiful, natural, and youthful cheeks and can suit a lot of different skin tones. The amazing packaging doesn’t hurt either! There isn’t anything about it that made it Holy Grail status but I would still that this blush is a big HIT with me.

It’s perfect for the spring and summer season but I think it’s difficult to follow seasons in Manila so I honestly just tend to wear whatever I feel like wearing.

xoxo,

Beauty, Reviews

Change Your Hair, Change Your Life: Hairshaft Salon Review

08/02/2014

15 Comments

We all have our moments when we feel not so good about ourselves. I however have been having one too many of these moments recently. I put on quite some weight ever since my trip to Europe and I haven’t been exactly shying away from all the yummy food Manila has to offer. Aside from that, I’ve been dealing with a whole lot of insecurities and I unconsciously entered a bad emotional rut. I started trying to lose the extra weight and I’ve made little progress. One night I decided that the pity party had to end and I needed to take control of my life starting with a hair makeover! I did some research and my friend, Nicole recommended me to try out Hairshaft Salon located in the Fort.

I contacted my friend’s stylist, Dennis via viber and immediately replied to my questions. He asked me to send him a current photo of mind to give him an idea on what my current hair condition is. I was hesitant to do the treatment at first because their rates are on the steeper side of the spectrum and I wasn’t mentally prepared to splurge. However, I really badly needed a pick me upper so I just WENT there.

I always want to make sure to really talk to the person who’s about to handle my hair which is why the consultation with Dennis took a good 10 minutes before I let him begin with the makeover. He carefully listened to my ideas and pegs and he also took note of the things that I do NOT like (aka really loud, obvious highlights). He assured me that he knew what he wanted to do for me so I just trusted him.

What’s so different about Hairshaft salon is their hair coloring process. They are very famous for a procedure called Signature Tone which is not your ordinary hair color + highlights combination. Signature tone is usually a 3-4 step process which is composed of a base color, highlights, and toner. I’ve never heard of the term toner but I’ll explain as I talk about the entire process I went through.

Dennis had to other hair technicians assisting him throughout the entire process and I really appreciated how hands-on he was from applying the different dyes onto my hair to personally curling and drying my hair after the entire process. The whole process began with rinsing and shampooing my hair and I loved how Dennis’ assistant took the time to massage my head. Shortly after, Dennis and his team began applying the first highlight color, carefully parting my hair and leaving some sections not highlighted. He then applied the second highlight color. Halfway into the procedure, Dennis suggested making the bottom part of my hair PURPLE! I was really apprehensive about this because if done wrong, my mom could disown me (HI MOM). However, purple hair has been a longtime dream of mine and I thought that a big change like this would be really good for me. Life’s too short to keep on second-guessing everything so uhh yolo! After a few minutes, he applied the base color. Shortly after, he applied the dye onto my roots. He applied it after everything else to make sure that my roots blend into my new hair color. After a few minutes, my hair was rinsed. I was shocked at first, to be honest because the highlights looked WAAY too brassy at first and I made sure to inform Dennis that I wanted SUBTLE highlights but I really trusted him so I just kept quiet. Finally, he applied the purple dye on the bottom part of my hair. Next he applied the toner to my hair except for the purple part of my hair. He didn’t really explain its purpose in detail but I noticed how the toner tamed the wild highlights and then I realized that Dennis did the wild highlights on purpose to have the toner neutralize everything. The result was amazing, really. I had two highlights and a base color yet, everything blended together like a dream. I did some research and toners are supposed to neutralize unwanted coppery and brassy tones and based on the results, I think toners are a fantastic way of creating unique shades. After a few minutes, everything was rinsed away and I decided to get a hair spa treatment while I was already there. I felt like letting my hair go through a beating with all the treatments it’s been through and I needed to give it some love. I also decided to get a trim because Dennis suggested that adding some layers to my hair would make my new hair color stand out more.

Finally, the big reveal came and I carefully saw Dennis’s masterpiece come to life as my hair was being dried. I sound so dramatic but I really felt tears well up when I began to see my transformation. Of course I didn’t cry but I really felt like doing so. Hair salons use a lot of the same products but what really makes a hair salon stand out are stylists like Dennis have SHEER TALENT. He has perfected his craft and it’s completely evident in his work. I’ve never met a hairstylist combine so many ideas for a look and make the whole thing blend seamlessly together.

follo Dennis on instagram: @Hairshaftdennis

I’m so happy that I finally got to try out Hairshaft salon’s services and I have nothing but amazing things to say about them. Aside from Dennis who’s a clear hair genius, his assistants were very professional and made sure my experience was perfect. Coco Chanel said, “A woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life” and I truly feel like my new hair has given me back the confidence that I had lost. Armed with my new purple hair (I feel so bad ass! hahaha!) and slowly progressing body, I’m damn ready to take control of my life once again.

Thank you Hairshaft Salon!! :)

If you’re looking for a salon that can give you a truly unique look and for a stylist who is willing to really listen to what you want, I without a doubt recommend this salon for you. The place has a very no frills interior design but I think it’s ok because they really let their work take center stage.

xoxo,

Facebook Page

Hairshaft Salon The Fort, Ground Floor,26th st 11th Avenue
South of Market Condominium, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

# 856-7547 / 0920-906-0828

Beauty, Reviews

Rave Review: Lulu Nails and Dry Bar

07/29/2014

1 Comments

All my close friends know how I’m really passionate about nails salons. I used to try to attempt to apply polish myself but I’ve long since given that up because I can’t seem to apply the darn polish using my left hand onto my right fingernails. I thank the heavens for the nails salons for those who can’t apply nail polish on themselves like me. Ever since, I’ve visited a bunch of nails salons all over the metro and so far, I’ve only truly went back to 1.

However, I recently discovered a relatively new nail salon and it has become a fast favorite of mine. This roughly 1-year-old salon is called Lulu Nails and Dry Bar and oh my goodness, I can honestly say that I’ve found my very own secret haven in Manila.

Interiors

The place is very new, clean, and spacious and it also has a lot of natural light which I really really love. The interiors are a mix of white, black, and pops of color. Customers are also treated to their very own lazy boy, A-plus for comfort! My favorite spot has to be the spot facing the window where the view of Ortigas showcased in all its busy glory. It’s not as beautiful as the Makati skyline or anything, but I love it anyway. They also serve drinks and have chick flicks available for viewing.

Services

Their service menu covers all the basic services like other standard nail salons but what really stood out to me was their unique hand and foot spa offerings. Some of their unique flavors include chocolate and wine flavored products for the hand and foot spa treatments. On my firs visit, I tried out the For the love of Chocolates Luxury Spa. The products really smelled like chocolates and left my feet smelling delish! On my second visit, I tried their Illuminating Spa for the feet with their Lulu deluxe Manicure and Pedicure (nail shaping, soak, cuticle care, massage, moisturize, hydrating mist, buff, polish). Haha who knew that a simple manicure and pedicure had so much stuff going on? The Illuminating Spa includes a soak, callous treatment, foot scrub, foot mask, cleanser (to rinse of the mask), oil, foot butter, and is finished off with an antibacterial mist.

All the tools they use are sterilized for each customer, how fab!

Illuminating Spa

I had two lovely nail technicians working with me. They were both very polite and friendly, even. I was able to chit-chat with them a bit but I like how they knew when it was appropriate to stop and let me have a nap haha. They were very knowledgeable about the procedure, they had very light hands and I really felt like I was in good hands. So much so that I was able to doze away without worrying about any mishaps happening to me.

look ma, I’m really studying!

Finally, they have a huge selection of nail polish shades and brands to choose from. To be honest, what really made me want to go back to their salon was because of their Seche Vite nail polish. It’s an American brand and its super special feature in my opinion is that it has quick-drying properties. I hate it when my perfect nails still get ruined the next day because apparently its possible that the nail polish isn’t completely dry yet, underneath the top coat. Seche Vite dries so quickly, immediately leaves a GORGEOUS finish and is almost complete indestructible for a good 2 weeks. A lot of friends complimented me on my nails and asked me if I was using gel polish because it really looked utterly stunning! I just hope they buy more nude shades for the Seche Vite brands (I hope this post reaches the owner, haha).

You can use any of these polishes except for their designer polishes without any additional charges! I absolutely look down on nails salons who charge more for polishes like OPI, Essie, Misha, etc because other salons include these premium polishes into their service fee, so they should be able to do it too! haha

Recommendations

The prices of their services are definitely higher than most nail salons I know but everything about the salon from the interiors, services, polish selection makes the price so worth it TALAGA. I can’t stop raving about this salon to my friends and I hope you feel my passion for the place through what I’m saying here. This nail salon is the ultimate place to be if you want quick access absolute luxury and if you just want to have a flawless time. I really really enjoyed my pampering time in this salon and I hope they keep up their momentum when it comes to their quality of services. For now, I’m dropping my slightly more affordable nail spa favorite and I officially declare Lulu nails as my ultimate favorite nail salon in Manila. I spent around P1100 for a foot spa, mani and pedi!

They have an ongoing promo right now, so you can find their contact info on their FB page for more details!

xoxo,

Beauty, Reviews

Review: Maybelline Clear Smooth 8-in-1 Skin Transformer BB Cream

07/15/2014

10 Comments

If you’ve read my recent post, you would know that I’m not really the biggest fans of BB creams. However after my last discovery, I have once again decided to open my doors to BB creams with open arms! Talk about perfect timing because I recently received a sample of the Maybelline Clear Smooth 8-in-1 Skin Transformer BB Cream to try out. It claims to do the following: brightens, evens, smoothes, refines, clears, conceals, moisturizes, and protects skin. Does it really live up to its claims? Read more and find out!

Product

The Maybelline Clear Smooth 8-in-1 Skin Transformer BB Cream is a light to medium coverage BB cream. It’s on the runny side which makes it blend into the skin easily. To a certain degree, it is able to even out the skin tone and conceal redness and tiny pimples but since it has a light coverage, it isn’t able to conceal major imperfections. It comes in two shades: 01 Fresh and 02 Natural. I find that either shade suits my skin tone so I mixed both shades to get a close shade match. Even if the shade range is very limited, its thin consistency allows the product to easily blend into skin tones that are similar to the shades. The BB cream feels very light on the skin. Although its consistency is very light, I find that it leave a semi-matte finish. It photographs VERY well and I was really happy with how it looks on my skin but I couldn’t help but notice how it slightly emphasized my dry skin. It doesn’t have a strong scent which is great and it lasted all day on my face without oxidising. It also has SPF 26 PA+++ which is very convenient.

Final Thoughts

Out of the 8 claimes, I find that it lives up to 4 claims: brightens, evens, conceals and protects skin. Despite this, I find that this BB cream is still worth using. I love how it looks on my skin and I love how it photographs. I also love how it’s very affordable at P259 a tube. I think that this is the perfect BB cream for those who are starting out with makeup and those who want a nice performing BB cream. It’s not the best BB cream out in the market but it’s definitely a step ahead from the other BB creams I’ve tried. It blends into the skin like a dream, performs well, and is easy on the pocket! It’s the perfect BB cream to make a flawless first impression on other people!

Don’t forget to try out Maybelline’s first impression meter! You basically upload a photo of yourself (preferably wearing Maybelline Clear Smooth 8-in-1 Skin Transformer BB Cream) and wait for people to say what their first impressions on your are. I tried it and found that people thought I was tough, intelligent, shy, likeable and trustworthy! HAHAHA. It’s a very interesting APP. Try out the first impression meter for yourself here :)

xoxo,

Beauty, Reviews, Tips

Makeup Remover 101

07/09/2014

5 Comments

I don’t think I’ve talked about this topic much in my blog but I guess it’s better late than never! As much as I love makeup, I don’t wear a lot of makeup everyday because I know that the chemicals from makeup can really be bad for your skin. However when I DO wear makeup, I make sure to thoroughly remove the makeup from my face because sleeping with makeup on is one of the biggest beauty sins you should never commit! Here are some of my favorite makeup removers:

Biefesta, Bioderma, Lancome

Lancome Bifacil

Lancome Bifacil would have to be my go to cleanser for when I have a heavy makeup look on my face. I think it’s my most hardcore makeup remover in my collection. It’s not 100% oil based but instead it’s half made of oil and another half made up of a water-based liquid. I absolutely hate the feeling of cleansing oils on my face but I do know that oil-based cleansers are one of the most (if not the most) effective when it comes to wiping off makeup. Thus, Lancome Bifacil is the perfect cleanser for me because it has the right amount of “oiliness” because it does the job of wiping of even the most stubborn kind of makeup in the most comfortable manner. It’s honestly the only makeup remover with oil that I can tolerate. It’s very gentle on the skin but dissolves makeup like a boss!

Price: 1550

Bioderma Sensibio H20 Micelle Solution

I purchased this cult and makeup artist favorite while I was in France. This is from the pink line, which is for sensitive skin (it’s also good for normal skin) while the green line is for oily skin. It was difficult trying to communicate with the French pharmacist but thank God I managed to get the right one for me. What makes this cleanser so special is that it’s classified as a Micelle cleanser. I read about the scientific explanation but I’m too lazy to try to grasp it enough to summarize how it works. To simplify things, it’s a type of cleanser that doesn’t need rinsing because the cleanser has special molecules that are able to dissolve makeup right away. The cleanser itself feels like WATER on skin, GASP I’M IN LOVE. Surprisingly, this water-like cleanser is pretty effective when it comes to melting away makeup. Some stubborn kinds of makeup may need extra attention but this is generally powerful enough to remove your daily makeup. It’s also perfect for those who are on the go and have no access to a sink. I love it! It feels so refreshing on the skin and this can also act like a non-drying toner. I still prefer to rinse after using this although it’s tempting to just skip the rinsing part but I guess once in a while it won’t hurt to just skip it. It’s also fragrant free!

Price: 13.90 EU / 847 PHP

Bifesta Bright-up Cleansing Lotion

This is a water-based cleanser and is honestly quite similar to the Bioderma Sensibio H20 cleanser. The Bifesta line features four versions of their cleanser: bright up for normal skin, sebum for oily skin, agecare for mature skin and moist for dry skin. It feels so refreshing on the skin, it’s very gentle, and efficiently removes makeup It also doesn’t leave my skin feeling dry at all. Although it doesn’t remove waterproof makeup easily, it can still remove waterproof makeup after some swipes. It’s also scent free. Like the Bioderma cleanser, this is also designed to be a rinse-free makeup cleanser. It’s perfect for those really late nights when you just really wanna doze off as soon as you can. What I love about this is that it’s so much more accessible than the Bioderma cleanser and it’s also more affordable. Since I find that the two are quite similar, I think I’ll be grabbing more of the Bifesta cleanser.

Price (Sasa) : 59HKD / 330PHP; also available in Beauty Bar

Final Tips

For heavy eye makeup/stubborn makeup, soak cotton pad in cleanser and gently press the pad onto skin for about 5 seconds before you wipe away your makeup. Soak a cotton bud in cleanser and use it to remove eyeliner and mascara residue.

Finally, Lancome bifacil is perfect for heavy makeup with Bifesta Bright up Cleaning Lotion and Bioderma Sensibio H20 is perfect for normal daily makeup.

Goodluck!

xoxo,

Beauty, Reviews

Review: Pond’s Flawless White BB+

07/08/2014

6 Comments

I’ll be honest I don’t have a very extensive knowledge when it comes to BB creams because I find the extensive amount of different BB creams available in the market today a tad bit too overwhelming. I was able to try out a total of three BB creams before I decided that I didn’t anything special about them. I reckoned that they were just like normal foundations with extremely limited shade options.

I thought I was already done with BB creams UNTIL I came across the Pond’s Flawless White BB+. Rem from Beautybook.ph sent me a sample of the BB cream for the article I wrote for them. I have to say, I would never have even bothered to glance at the product on my own since I have this mental “off” switch for BB creams. But I’m so glad that I was able to try it in a way by accident because the product is pure perfection. It’s changed my life, seriously. This is not a sponsored review but I really think that this product deserves the spotlight so here goes!

Product

The product itself has a light to medium coverage and a semi-thick and creamy consistency. It doesn’t make me feel like I’m clogging my pores. However, what I really love about this product is that it really does its job in making my skin flawlessly white and radiant in the most natural way imaginable. It has a perfect semi-matte finish and it blends seamlessly into the skin and looks like second skin almost immediately. I received compliments from my friends in school but what really amazed me was when I received a compliment from a guy friend of mine. We all know how guys rarely bat a lash/notice when it comes to girls changing their appearances, so that must be a good sign!

I know that some people like to use BB creams as bases for the foundation but I’m already so impressed with just wearing this on its own. Although it doesn’t cover up major pimples and major imperfections, it evens out the skin tone well and it’s got the occasional zit covered.

It has a very faint scent that I can’t describe but it’s a pleasant scent. It lasted the entire day on my skin without any unfortunate cases of oxidizing or anything of the sort. I have normal skin but all my classes are not air-conditioned which is why I just touch up my face 1-2 a day. On days when I don’t need to be under the sun, I can go all day without having to do a touch up. The SPF 30++ doesn’t hurt too!

Final Thoughts

I was so pleasantly surprised at how this really affordable BB cream genuinely impressed me. It has been quite some time since I had an accidental discovery like this, which is why I simply cannot stop raving about it. I was even advertising to friends in person! The only issue I think that this product has is its limited range of shades. If however you find a match for your skin tone, I urge you to give this a try! It might give your high-end BB creams a run for their money.

wearing only the Pond Flawless White BB+ as my base and a bit of concealer under my eyes

xoxo,

Beauty, Reviews

MAC Alluring Aquatic Collection Review: Goddess of the Sea

07/07/2014

7 Comments

MAC is probably one of the brands that releases the most number of collections in a year which is why I find it hard to catch up sometimes. Also, it’s so easy to get sucked into the glittery black hole of MAC cosmetics because once I enter a MAC cosmetics shops, I can just stay there all day testing out products.

One recent collection that really caught my eye is the MAC Alluring Aquatic collection. The packaging on it’s own is utterly divine. I have no words. OH MY GOSH. If only I didn’t have so much on my makeup wish list, I could easily have purchased the entire collection based on packaging alone. Teehee! When the collection first arrived in Manila, not all the products for the collection was shipped to the Philippines. Only the lipsticks, lipglasses, and eyeliners were shipped. The lipstick in Mystical was sold out right away. Thank God I was able to secure 1 lippie for me, Goddess of the Sea. I was immediately impressed with how it looked like when swatched on my hand. Josh (the boyfriend) saw how happy I was and he said that he knew that he wanted to get it for me immediately (HEHE).

Product

The packaging of this collection has got to be one of my FAVORITE MAC packagings YET. The whole collection features products that come in shiny teal packaging and all the products have artificial water droplets on them. The droplets look so real on the products, little mermaid will definitely approve!!

MAC Goddess of Sea is a cremesheen finish. The shade is a beautiful dark purple raspberry-plum but it’s more plum than raspberry. The lipsticks translates on my lips beautifully with a slightly glossy finish. I have MAC Rebel and I haven’t gotten myself to write about it because I feel like the shade just doesn’t sit very well with my skin tone. I was so into purple lipsticks, eyeliner, eyeshadow, purple errthang lately and I thought MAC rebel was my perfect purple lip shade. Sadly, I was mistaken. Goddess of the sea has the perfect amount of boldness for me and it’s seriously my favorite purple shade ever!

When worn, my lips look so supple and my lips equally feel moisturised. The formulation of this lipstick is flawless. It’s perfect for those who have dry lips like me. The texture is creamy but not creamy enough to slip and slide on my lips. I’m in love! The lipstick lasted a good four hours on my lips!

Final Thoughts

I really love love love love this lipstick!!! I urge you guys to grab this while you can if you are looking for a plum/purple shade and have a similar skin tone with me. I think this would suit people with darker skin tones too! I hope you guys can FEEL how much I love this lipstick even through just reading this because AHH. It would be a shame to pass on this jewel. <3

You can also easily make this shade a lot more bolder by applying a purple lip liner all over your lips before applying this lippie!

xoxo,

Beauty, Reviews

5 Minute Review: Benefit Eyebright

07/03/2014