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Beauty, Reviews

Review: OCC Lip Tars

12/03/2013

2 Comments

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

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

1 Comments

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!

xoxo,

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Beauty, Reviews

Review: theBalm Cabana Boy

08/28/2013

1 Comments

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

1 Comments

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. :)