Hello there, world!

I haven’t been able to post a blog entry in almost two months now because I went on a short vacation in Europe! It was without a doubt one of the best moments of my life and I really wish I could stay there forever but it’s true when they say that home is where the heart is. Despite waking up to gorgeous scenery, having instagram worthy places everywhere, having access to oh-so-drool-worthy-1-euro-gelato, and everything in between, I miss sunny Manila! and blogging, of course! Now I’m back to reality and I have a couple of posts lined up for you. Of course, I’ll be blogging about my beauty finds from Europe too!

Product

So, I still have a ton of makeup that I haven’t been able to blog about and one of them is the Sonia Kashuk Secret Agenda Concealer Palette. I got it from Target a while back. They now carry a repackaged version that looks very similar to the one I have. I really like this concealer which is why I’m still writing about it.

The packaging is made out of sturdy white plastic and it c0mes with a magnetic flap to securely shut the palette. The new version of this palette now comes in black and although the product itself looks similar to the old version, I’m not sure if they made formulation changes to the concealer. Each palette sells for around $10 or P450.

Each palette comes with three shades and a powder. The upper right shade is a salmon shade and is perfect for dark circles. The lower left shade has green tones to it and it can be used to counteract redness on the face. The upper left is a brownish beige shade that can be used after correcting dark circles to brighten them up. Lastly, the lower right shade is a powder that can be used to set the concealer.

The texture of the concealer is on the thick side because it is a cream concealer. It’s also medium to heavy coverage. I love how this concealer easily blends into my skin and how it is able to make my pimples and dark circles disappear.

I also love how it attempts to replicate the idea of Bobbi Brown’s famous corrector, concealer, and powder. I haven’t tried Bobbie Brown’s version so I can’t really compare the two. However, Sonia Kashuk’s Secret Agenda Concealer Palette is a nice and cheaper alternative for those who can’t afford the Bobbi Brown version just yet.

Swatches

with only eyebrow makeup on my face

with the Sonia Kashuk Secret Agenda Concealer on my face

Final Thoughts

The only downside of this product is that I don’t think it has a lot shades to offer. I think they only offer two shade ranges which is light and medium. Nevertheless, I love how one is able to do so much in one palette for a price that won’t break the bank. I love love love this concealer and i recommend it to those who have access to this product.

That is it for now guys! Thanks for reading, and I would love to hear your thoughts and comments below! :)

xoxo,

People often think that a nude lipstick shade is the same thing as a my-lips-but-better lipstick shade. A nude lipstick shade is not what someone would want to get unless that person wants to look like he/she applied concealer on his/her lips. A nude lipstick shade will more often than not make someone look washed out and just blahhh. The right way to get a “nude” lipstick shade is to get a my-lip-but-better shade. It should be a shade that is similar to you lip color and it should be able to enhance your natural lip color, not make your lips look pale.

Having said all this, I’m proud to say that I have found the perfect my-lips-but-better shade for myself and I have been using it for more than three years now! It goes by the name hug me by MAC Cosmetics. It’s a lustre finish and I surprisingly never thought to check what finish MAC Hug Me is until recently.

Product

Mac Hug Me doesn’t particularly looks nice from the tube. It’s a shade a normal girl would have easily overlooked. It doesn’t look attractive as it looks like a brownish pink directly form the tube. Since it’s a luster finish, It also doesn’t swatch attractively. I like my lipsticks opaque so I tend to gravitate towards colors that swatches beautifully. It’s probably the sheerest lipstick I have in my lipstick army but it’s one of my favorites, still. I honestly cannot remember how I started my love affair with this lippie but I’m so glad I picked it up and gave it a try.

Now, I already said that it doesn’t look attractive from the tube and that it doesn’t swatch beautifully. So really, what is all the fuss about this lippie? It may look like an unattractive pinkish brown from the tube but it applies a like a luscious caramel-browny-pink on my lips. It doesn’t have a hint of shimmer or frost (YAY) but it makes my lipstick look soft and luscious with its shiny-in-a-nice-way finish. My dry and chapped rejoice over the amount of moisture this lipstick has. It goes well with ANY makeup look and is my go-to lipstick on days when I don’t know what shade to pick.

Since it’s a luster finish, it doesn’t last very long on the lips. You may need to reapply (I don’t mind reapplying at all).

Final Thoughts

This lipstick has got to be the most constant thing in my life and I love love love it! I didn’t get to blog about it sooner because my old tube didn’t look attractive anymore (</3) and I waited until I got a second tube to blog about it! For the record, this is the only lipstick shade that I have repurchased twice in my life! It’s really glorious. I think it would suit a lot of different skin tones but those who have really pigmented lips might not get the same results as me because the shade isn’t very opaque.

For those who think this shade might not work for them, don’t worry! Just find a liopstick shade that’s similar to the color of your lips and you’ll have your perfect mlbb in no time!

Already found your MLBB? Let me know by commenting below because I’d love to try new MLBB shades!

xoxo,

I know, I was on more than a week long hiatus, forgive me. But I had a good reason, finals week and pre-finals week was KILLING me. However, I’m proud to say that I’m back with new hair and finally said au revoir to my old hair AND my third year in college!! I literally got my makeover right after I finished typing my last paper/deliverable for the school year and SENT IT IN online while I was in the salon! teehee.

I’ve had my hair done at Salon Beauvoir at Somerset Olympia makati once using a deal grocer voucher but didn’t get to blog about it because I lost my photos. When I found out they had another deal on dealgrocer, I pounced on it. Their services were impeccable the first time around and I knew that I wanted to get my hair done there again. My voucher cost me P2610 for a haircut with a senior stylist, hair color (any length) and Keratherapy’s Express Keratin Color Lock which would have cost me P1200, P2800, and P2000 respectively. Those three services would add up to P6000 without the voucher.

all the treatments neatly displayed

The Place

too pretty

The spacious salon seriously embodies Parisian chic from every nook and cranny. It was well lighted, beautifully designed and I felt right at home! They also have really quick wifi which was really helpful during my second visit because I had to leave my house to reach my appointment but I wasn’t able to send my paper to my professor. I seriously sent it while I was getting my hair colored. HIHI. They also served me and my plus one (josh) red iced tea twice which was really nice of them.

they even have a men’s corner

Miss Monette and Janice

Miss Monette is the senior hair stylist of the salon and she was the one who did my hair the last time I was there so I requested for her to work her magic on my hair again. Janice was her lovely assistant who did most of the coloring. I really want to dedicate a paragraph to them because they were both so accommodating. I particularly want to commend Miss Monette for her passion for hair. My voucher only entitled me to a hair coloring service but she really did so much more. I’ve been to other salons where they offer me to choose within their service menu and they’d follow the color that I choose. I showed miss Monette some pegs and she really did her thing by choosing THREE different colors for me:  a light color on the crown, a darker shade in the middle, and and even darker shade at the bottom. She was able to customize my hair color, to give me a sombre (soft ombre) despite my voucher only covering a coloring service. Doing something like that takes talent and she definitely has it. She made me feel really special by custom making a color for me which is why I love her to death. She was very hands on with everything even if Janice was the one applying the hair color and treatment. Miss Monette made sure to supervise how my hair was parted for the hair color and was the one mixing the colors for me. I also like how Miss Monette was very frank with me. I initially wanted an ash brown color just because I wanted new hair for a change and she agreed to do it. However, I was iffy with my choice and asked her if she thought I should retain a shade similar to my hair and she said yes because the my hair color pre-makeover suited my skin tone really well.

Hair Color

The hair dye used on my hair was not ammonia free which means that it’s a bit harsher than other hair dyes (Loreal Inoa) but I did not really mind because I’m not choosy like that. haha I have tried the Loreal Inoa though and it was nice too. Like I said, Miss Monette gave me a sombre which is a soft ombre. I know mixing three colors sounds weird but I’ll leave you to judge the results as I will be posting the photos near the end of this post. I like how they did not apply the color directly on my roots right away and chose to add the color last because the hair near the scalp absorbs the dye really fast. Therefore applying the dye near on the roots together with the rest of the hair will make the hair near the scalp lighter than the rest of the hair.

While waiting for my hair color to sink in.. Thanks for accompanying me the whole time, J! :)

Keratherapy’s Express Keratin Color Lock

The treatment was fairly simple. Some sort of mist was sprayed onto my hair after my hair was rinsed and blow dried. The used a special flat iron to activate the treatment. It’s supposed to make my hair look shiny and more vibrant and is supposed to last for a week.

Haircut 

I tend to grow my hair and feel like I want a total makeover so I’d ask the hair stylist to cut like 4 inches off my hair. I’d go home heartbroken because I realize that I look better with long. I swear, it’s a cycle. haha. This time, I just asked for a trim to make my hair look more healthy.

Overall

I really love how my hair turned out and I equally love the service of their staff. The place is ADORABLE and tres chic! My voucher was definitely a steal. They did not treat me any differently even if I was just using a voucher. I really recommend you to get Miss Monette to do your hair when you decide to give this faaabulous salon a try. The deal/voucher I purchased is still ongoing and you may purchase is at Dealgrocer.

service menu

Final Result

before and after

so so happy with my new hair!

What’s your favorite salon? :)

xoxo,