Would you rather be skinny with an ugly face or fat with a pretty face?

fat with a pretty face, because i can lose the fat anyway :)

Ask me anything

Product Review: Dollface Cosmetics 15-pc Concealer Palette

Happy Tuesday everyone! Many of you will be off work in a few days. As for me, I just came home from my second pixel session and my face hurts :( So I will be hiding out in my house for a few days because I look really scary right now.

Anyway, I'm off to review Dollface Cosmetics' 15-pc Concealer Palette

photo taken from www.dollfacecosmetics.com.ph

 

When I went to makeup school, I started stocking up on things that I didn't have. One of those things that I didn't have was multiple colors of concealer. Good thing that a few days before that, Dollface Cosmetics was having a bazaar. I didn't think twice about going.

At first, I was torn between this and the 10-pc concealer, but I eventually decided to get this, because it had more shades and costed less, although the 10-pc concealer had bigger pans. 

One thing to note, the colors in the pan are not completely warm-they're a  tiny bit cool-toned. Which is actually good for covering up dark circles and discolorations in the face, since salmon-colored concealers are better than for dark spots than warm concealers. Don't worry, though, because the coolness is very slight so you can still use this for blemishes, and it does a good job at it. If you want to make the concealer even warmer, you can always mix in some yellow concealer that's part of the palette. Lasting power is decent, maybe 3-5 hours in our humid weather.

Note: I'm not really sure why they included a silver shimmery color, but I can find other uses for it so that's fine, but I'd rather that they replaced that shade with orange instead.

So here are the pros and cons:

PROS

• many colors in the palette for an affordable price
• it comes with color correctors in green and purple
• offers medium coverage
• this palette can also be used for contouring

CONS

• cakes if too much is applied
• can settle into fine lines
• in our humid weather, it can still get streaky even after set with loose powder, but this can be easily remedied by brushing through it once again to smoothen it out
• I wish it came with an orange color corrector

TIPS

• always set this with loose powder after
• apply little by little to avoid caking :)

The verdict: This is a great palette for those who are in makeup school and for the beginning make-up artist, but I plan to upgrade after this palette :)

Bright Pink Lipsticks: NARS and NYX

Hello everyone! It's the start of holy week, and in a few days a lot of Filipinos will be on vacation., but me, I'll be on vacation starting tomorrow already! Yey. Anyway, on to today's post.

As a makeup artist, it's important to have a hot pink lipstick in your stash. But since I normally gravitate towards MLBB shades, I don't have a bright pink lipstick except for NYX Louisiana. Lately, though, I've been reading a lot of raves about NARS Schiap. I've always wondered how NYX Louisiana compared to NARS Schiap. And now, thanks to Martha, I have my very own NARS Schiap. Bwahahaha!

Left: NARS Schiap

Right: NYX Louisiana

Here they are when swatched on my hand:

Here is NARS Schiap on my lips:

And here is NYX Louisiana on my lips:

In my opinion, NYX Louisiana is much more wearable than NARS Schiap but both are pretty colors. I find that NARS Schiap is a very unique color (hence it's a favorite of many celebrities), and if you're quite daring, definitely try this out. NARS Schiap is also more pigmented than NYX Louisiana. With NARS, one swipe and you've already got hot pink lips, while with NYX Louisiana, you have to go through your lips twice.

Where to buy?

NARS l/s is available in Rustan's counters for P1250

NYX l/s is available through online sellers for P150-P200

Another Makeover...

I recently did my friend's hair and makeup for her recital. I didn't put any lipstick on her since she is a flutist like me. This was taken around 5 hours after I put on her makeup. It partly washed away already from her sweat :P

The shots aren't the same because one was taken with a point and shoot camera, while the other one was taken with a DSLR.

Here she is in her recital with her pretty gown. 

Congratulations!

Review: DUO Eyelash Adhesive in Dark Tone

Hello everyone! How are you doing? I'm tired from working today, so I'll give you another review.

For today, I'll be reviewing DUO Eyelash Adhesive Dark Tone.

Product Description:

• The World's Largest Seller
• Waterproof
• Dark Tone
• Blends with black or brown lashes

 Ingredients:
 Water, Cellulose Gum, Sodium Dodecylbenzene Sulfonate, Rubber Latex, Fragrance (Parfum), Formalin, Ammonium Hydroxide

I've heard so many good things about this! They say that this is THE best eyelash glue out there. However, it's very difficult to find this here. It's a good thing that a co-MUA friend of mine went to Singapore, and thought of me! I'm glad that I was finally get my hands on it.

Putting on fake eyelashes is something I only learned in makeup school. Prior to that, I had no experience with it. After finishing makeup school, I started putting on fake lashes when clients requested it, but I never tried them on myself. I tried practicing on myself, but I just found it too hard to make the lashes stick to myself, even if I waited long for the glue to get tacky. With clients, it still happens that parts of the lashes unstick after a while. 

With DUO, I said goodbye to these problems! Lashes stay put, and I can actually put lashes on myself already. Applying lashes have become a breeze! It dries to a dark finish so it blends in with Asian lashes. 

Let me list the pros and cons:

PROS

• Long-lasting
• Dark tone blends with Asian lashes

CONS

• Not available locally. Resellers may charge up to double the price

TIPS

• Wait for the glue to get tacky before applying the false lashes to the eyelid. This takes 10-30 seconds
• Make sure to put extra glue in the ends of the lashes, as it tends to unstick in those areas

In the US, this retails for $5.99. If you have a relative there, this is a good thing to purchase.

Will I repurchase? Yes! I will never purchase anything else.

Photos, Photos...

It's graduation season, so it's time for pictures pictures! I just wanted to show you two pictures of my friends whom I fixed up for their shots.

My pretty friend Charisse :)

And my pretty friend GM in her graduation shot.

Photography: Devi De Veyra
Hair/Makeup: Crystal Milarose Rodis

Revisiting: Coastal Scents Blush and Contour Palette

Happy monday everyone! I know that a lot of you have work today, but I'm happy because I don't have anything to do today! Just some typing. :) So anyway, back to regular programming.. Today I will be revisiting my Coastal Scents Blush and Contour Palette. You can see my original post HERE 

I already posted my swatches in my previous post, so I won't get into it again. After using this for more than a year, Here's what I have to say. I think that this palette performs very well for its price. The white color and slightly yellowish color do a good job for highlighting. The brown color for is just right for contouring. I noticed, though, that these colors are not very long-lasting. Staying power is average. The light pink color is not very useful, since it's very light and practically blends with my skintone. This can only be used for people with darker skintones and you want a slightly pinkish highlight. The two blush colors on the right are very pigmented. Be very careful when applying these to people with light skintones, as it's easy to overdo this on them!

For those who are trying their hand on highlighting and contouring, this is a great palette! Plus it will take forever to finish since the pans are so big! However, if and when I finish this, I will be upgrading to a more long-lasting set :)

March Blogger Giveaways!

Shen's Addiction is turning two years old and is having a giveaway to celebrate!

Click HERE to find out how to join

MereMakeupManiac is giving away 3 tubes of Maybelline Magnum Mascara! Click HERE to find out how to join.

Weekend Photoshoot

Hey guys! I don't have much to share with you right now. I've been busy lately, but I'd like to share with you a picture from a fun shoot I did last weekend. It was really fun!

Model: Camille Baltazar
Hair and Makeup: Crystal Milarose Rodis
Styling: Kristine Rodriguez-Lucas
Photography: Jomel Tadeo

Thanks to everyone who was part of it! Til' next time!

My New Favorite Shampoo and Conditioner

One of my friends recently introduced me to TRESemme. She told me that it made her hair super soft and that a little goes a long way. And because the price was so affordable, I got curious. The catch? It's only available in Market! Market! I don't usually go to that area. Thankfully, I had a gig in the area so I was finally able to buy TRESemme shampoo and conditioner. There were different variants, so I was confused on what do get. I finally decided on the Moisture Shampoo and the Anti-Breakage conditioner.

photo taken from www.tresemme.com

 

Tresemme Moisture Rich Shampoo:

At first I didn't see anything special with this shampoo. But after my second wash, I realized something. I'm no longer a slave to dandruff shampoo! Normally, I can only use dandruff shampoo because everytime I use an ordinary shampoo, my head ends up itchy! This applies even when I used organic shampoos. Maybe because they're drying and it causes me to build dandruff? With this shampoo, I no longer have an itchy scalp even without dandruff shampoo! So now I'm a new convert!

Tresemme Anti-Breakage Conditioner:

So far, I haven't noticed if my hair has gotten "stronger," but yes, it does leave my hair uber soft! Softer than the conventional conditioners in the grocery. I just love how soft my hair feels while washing it, and it's much easier to comb my wet hair.

I'm really loving my new hair stuff! The best thing about it? The shampoo is P295 for 926 ml while the conditioner is P339 for 926 ml. That's actually cheaper than a lot of the hair products found in the grocery! Note: They have a mild scent :)

Review: Venus and Mars Smooch Lip Butter Balm

Hi girls! Today I'll be reviewing Venus and Mars' smooch lip balm, which is much raved about. I'm glad that I was finally able to try it out.

picture taken from venusandmars08.multiply.com

Product Description:

Venus and Mars Smooch lip butter balm will surely deeply penetrate the skin cells to hydrate and moisturize the lips. It contains emu oil, avocado butter, avocado oils, coconut oil, sunflower oil, castor oil, jojoba wax, peppermint essential oils, beeswax and vitamin E oil.

Wanna know how it faired? Let's look at the pros and cons.

PROS

• contains no petroleum! Petroleum actually isn't good for the skin so I'm glad that this one doesn't have any.
• It's filled with essential oils that's good for your lips.
• Does a good job of moisturizing my lips.
• Has a cooling effect! (That's always a plus for me)
• No smell. Great for people who are not fan of scents

CONS

• You have to rub the product in your lips a few times since the product is hard, but it's also a good thing because it means that it doesn't melt easily.
• It's a little pricey for something locally made.

All-in-all, I find this to be a great product to have especially for people who are prone to dry lips! This will be just fine when I go abroad.

Rating: 5/5

Pre-Order from US: Sephora and MAC

Hi gals! I will be leaving for the US next month so I'll be doing a pre-order for Sephora and MAC. This is a great way to save since there won't be any shipping fees from the US to the Philippines. Shipping will only be from my Philippine address to your address.

Here are the terms:

1. The exchange rate will be $1=P50. That's it, no more service fees, etc.

2. I require full payment before I leave. I'm sorry gals, as much as I'd like to make it 50%, I can't make abono since I have a lot of pabilis already. Deposits can be made through Gcash, BDO or Unionbank.

3. Shipping from my Phil. address to buyer's address will be shouldered by buyer.

4. I will not be accepting any orders for perfumes, since they're very delicate. Also, I might not accept items that are too bulky since I might go over my baggage limit.

5. In case there is any item that is unavailable, I'll give a refund of that item when I return.

6. Deadline for payment is by April 6. I will leave one week after that. I will arrive in the Phils on May 26. After which, I will organize everything, and then contact you regarding shipping.

I hope this answers most inquiries. Don't worry, I won't run away with your money. You can do your research around GT and in the bloggersphere. You'll see that I have a clean record.

For inquiries you can email me at tams_3000@yahoo.com

EDIT: I'm sorry gals, I forgot to make room for the 8.25% tax in Texas. I'll have to count that in pa. Sorry, that was my bad. Also, at a certain point, I'm going to have to cut the pre-order na, since I'm receiving a big bulk of messages already.

Reviews: Skinfood Peach Sake Pore Serum and Emulsion

Hello everyone! Today I'll be doing a combined review for Skinfood Peach Sake Pore Serum and Emulsion. This line is highly recommended for people with oily skin. In fact, the SAs over at Skinfood have been recommending this to me but I never bought them because I haven't read enough reviews. After all, my skin is an OIL MINE! It's a good thing though that the SAs there are not pushy :)

After a few years of reading reviews, I finally purchased this from a pre-order. No, not from the mall because it's terribly overpriced here!

left: Peach Sake Pore Emulsion, right: Peach Sake Pore Serum

Product Description:

Peach Sake Pore Serum: Enriched with vitamin C serum that contains peach and sake extracts. Tightens pores and controls excess sebum. 135 ml.

Peach Sake Pore Emulsion: Enriched with vitamin C emulsion that contains peach and sake extracts. Tightens pores and controls excess sebum. 45 ml.

 

The first thing I noticed with these two products is the smell! I'm sorry. I know a lot of people love how they smell like but I personally feel that they smell like air freshener! It kind of makes me dizzy actually. Moving on, the difference of the emulsion and the serum is that the serum is thicker while the emulsion is more watery. I was hoping that the emulsion could act as some sort of moisturizer since you put it after the serum, but unfortunately, it doesn't. So you'll still have to put moisturizer afterwards. I'm actually getting worried about product overload. 

I find the serum easy to apply since it uses a pump to get the product out, but the emulsion is a different story. I feel like I'm trying to get it out of a ketchup bottle! Skinfood should seriously consider adding a pump, since its watery texture makes it difficult to get it out. 

In performance, however, I'm happy with it. When I apply the serum and/or the emulsion, I notice that my face doesn't oil up as much. Normally, on a hot day, my face is really oily in 2-3 hours, but with these products, I can actually go up to 4 hours. In my oil mine face, that's a lot already! You might be able to do without the emulsion and just use the serum and still get results. If you have some oil problems, this is worth giving a shot!

TIP: Buy this from pre-orders instead of the mall. You can save 40%-50% off!

TAG: 40 Questions

Hey everyone! This tag looked like fun so I'm answering this!

SKINCARE

How many times do you wash your face daily?

Twice a day, although occasionally I do wash 3x a day (rarely) which is not bad considering that I have oily skin.

What skin type do you have?

Super duper oily!!!!

What is your current facial wash?

Shu Uemura cleansing oils, Cyleina Black Pearl Soap, Skintel Pimple Clearing Soap

Do you exfoliate?

1x a week

What brand do you use?

Soap Opera, Abonne

What moisturizer do you use?

Leyende Face Canvas

Do you have freckles?

I have on my arms, none on my face

Do you or did you have acne prone skin?

Yup :(

Did you ever have to use Pro-Activ?

No.

MAKEUP

What foundation do you use?

All minerals

How about concealer?

ellana concealer in cheer, MAC select cover-up in NW20

Do you know your undertone color?

I have warm undertones

What do you think of false eyelashes?

 It's really nice, but not for everyday use

Did you know that you are supposed to change your mascara every 3 months?

Yes although you can actually extend the lifespan.

What brand of mascara do you use?

Maybelline, Fasio

Sephora or MAC?

Can i say both? MAC is nice but sephora has so many brands!

Do you have a MAC Pro-card?

No because there's no pro store here

What makeup tools do you use in makeup application?

TM

Do you use makeup base/primer for the eyes?

Always since I'm so oily

For the face?

Most of the time

What is your favorite eyeshadow (color or shade)?

Urban Decay e/s in Sin or Stila e/s in Kitten

Do you use pencil or liquid eyeliner?

both

How often do you poke your eyes with an eyeliner pencil?

thankfully, never

What do you think of pigment eyeshadows?

Messy to use, but great color pay-off! --> I agree

Do you use mineral makeup?

I think the title of my blog says it all

What is your favorite lipstick?

I don't actually use lipstick

What about lipgloss?

Ellana, Silk Naturals, and other mineral brands

What is your favorite blush to use?

MAC summer rose

Do you buy your makeup on eBay?

No. I used to buy other stuff though like brushes, etc.

Do you like drugstore makeup?

Yes!

Do you go to CCOs? (Cosmetic Company Outlets)

I wish we had them here :(

Did y0u ever consider taking makeup classes?

I already did!

Are you clumsy in putting on makeup?

I hope not!

Name a makeup crime that you hate?

lipliner that is too dark!

Do you like colorful shades of makeup (lipstick, eyeshadow) or neutral ones?

I prefer pinky shades since I am such a girly girl!

Which celebrity always has great makeup?

Kate Beckinsale! she's my girl crush.

If you could leave the house using just ONE makeup item, what would you use?

Foundation

Could you ever leave the house without any makeup on?

Yes, because I don't have time always

Do you think you look good even without any makeup on?

NO.

In your opinion, what is the BEST makeup line?

I can't really choose just one brand!

What do you think of makeup?

Makeup is only to enhance what you have. It's not magic!

I'm tagging anyone who wants to do this!

Beautynomics Turns Four!

Beautynomics is turning four and to celebrate, she's having a BIG giveaway!

Click HERE to find out more

Great Find: Sesou Nature Source

Guess what I stumbled upon when I was in Trinoma one day? Sesou Nature Source. Now what is this store?

It's a kiosk that carries varied organic brands. No more shipping fees for each company plus you get to see the products first hand. Not all the products have testers but at least you get to see how the products look like or smell. Among the brands I spotted there were Leyende, Ilog Maria, Human Nature, Giga, All Organics, Messy Bessy, etc. I know that some of these brands have other outlets but this way, you can make the most out of your trip because they're all here! I told the SA that they still have some known organic brands that are still missing in their store and they told me that there are some brands that are still on the process of consigning with them, so watch out for more brands. The best thing about them is that the prices are the same as other retailers if not just a wee bit higher, like P5! I saw that Giga and Leyende's prices were just more expensive by P5, and Human Nature was exactly the same price. It still beats shipping fees for all the different brands. This is my new one-stop organic shop. They also have a branch at Market! Market!

Mini Etude House Haul

I know I'm so behind the Etude House craze! I know everyone's been talking about it, and I've been there a few times but I've never bought anything actually. Haha, I have good restraint! Anyway, here's my actual mini haul.

I bought the much coveted mini stippling brush! It's good that they have on-hand stocks now as opposed to before when you really had to wait. I also bought the mascara top coat that they have. It didn't stand a chance on my oily lids though :P And I also bought some eyelid tape because my eyelids are uneven. I find them to be a waste of money because it only works when you're far and it's uber hard to put makeup on top of it. Oh well... I'm lemming for some other stuff there such as:

Lip Tints in Peach, Pink, etc.

Nail Polish Bottle

Romantic Beauty Stand

Makeup Wipes (it's very reasonably priced!)

Mascara Fixer

What do you think of these? What do you recommend I get?

I'm Baaaaccckkkkk!!! + Elianto Eye Brushes Review

Hey everyone! I'm back! I'd like to thank everyone who offered their kind words of support during the time that I was uber stressed and when I got sick. Yes, February is normally a very busy month for me, but this March, my schedule will be better I'm sure. So let's get on to our regular programming... Back to beauty blogging!

Today I will review some of the Elianto eye brushes that I own. Elianto actually has a lot of brush sets but I don't buy them because I feel that not all of the brushes in each set are good. If only I could mix and match the brushes :( Just some wishful thinking. So I'd rather buy the brushes individually even if they're more expensive, because you get to pick the ones that you want.

The nice thing about Elianto brushes are that they look classy. They have long handles and are brown in color. But do they deliver? Read on to find out.

From left to right:

Big Blender Brush

Flat Liner Brush

Flat Top Brush

Eyeliner Brush

Big Blender Brush (animal hair)

This brush sheds :( It's a little too big to use on the eyes, so I use it for highlighting. However, it does have some flyaways.

Rating: 3/5

Flat Liner Brush (synthetic hair)

This brush is good for making thick lines using a gel liner or powder liner mixed with a sealant. The downside is that people might find this a little too stiff.

Rating: 3.5/5

Flat Top Brush (animal hair)

This is definitely the best among my Elianto brushes. I have no complaints here. It gets the job done of applying eyeshadow on the lids. No shedding. It's a little smaller than the ELF eyeshadow brush, and also almost twice the price.

Rating: 4/5

Eyeliner Brush (animal hair)

Man oh man do I regret buying this brush. Serves me right for buying an animal hair brush for an eyeliner brush :( I didn't know any better during that time. As soon as I washed it, all the hair were all over the place. Good thing it was only P99 so it wasn't really heavy on the pocket. It isn't a total loss though because I can still use to apply eyeshadow on my lower lash line.

Rating: 2.5/5