Product Review: VMV Armada Face and Body Shield SPF 60

Product Description:


The most comprehensive protection, with some of the highest protection factors ever against the full spectrum of skin-harming light: indoor and outdoor UVA, UVB, Infrared and Visible Light.
Impressive power in a weightless, anti-oxidant cream that's friendly to all skin types.
When used everyday, indoors and out, also helps lighten melasma.
Protects against melasma, sun-induced skin cancer, photo-aging, and other photo-induced damage.

Active Ingredients:

Zinc Oxide, Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid, Titanium Dioxide, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, 4-Methylbenzylidene Camphor.

Other Ingredients:

Aqua/Water/Eau, Cyclopentasiloxane, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Tromethamine, Glyceryl Laurate, PVP/Hexadecene Copolymer, Hydrogen Dimethicone, Tetrasodium EDTA, Aluminum Hydroxide, *Tocopheryl Acetate, Zirconium Dioxide.

VMV Armada has been my dream sunblock since college, but it was never within my budget. The Armada linke of VMV has always been part of its bestsellers, so sales are hard to come by. Thankfully, after I started working, I chanced upon a 2-hour sale of the Armada line in a VMV boutique, so of course I had to try it.

PROS

• Offers a comprehensive indoor and outdoor light protection
• Doesn't feel greasy at all
• Dries quickly
• Didn't give me breakouts

CONS

• The zinc oxide ingredient has a whitish cast. Even if I put a small amount only, I still get a whitish cast that's why I don't like to use it when I'm not wearing makeup
• Expensive at more than P1000 (I forgot the exact price)

Will I repurchase? Maybe. The comprehensive protection is great, but the whitish cast makes it hard to work with. The price is a bit prohibitive too.

Current Favorite Acne Mask: Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque

For the next installment of my "current favorite" blog posts, I bring you my favorite acne mask: Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque. I don't know why I've never written about this before, when I've consumed several tubes of this already.

Product Description:



Mint Julep Masque is the original natural home treatment developed by a dermatologist that helps dry up acne pimples, rinse away blackheads and shrink enlarged pores.

Simply apply Mint Julep Masque to your clean face and neck.  Within minutes it firms and hardens, drawing out impurities from your pores.  After the masque is removed, your skin will feel clean, refreshed and smooth.

Even for individuals who are fortunately free of skin problems, Mint Julep Masque is a refreshing facial treatment that helps relaxed tired muscles and ease tension lines on the face and neck.

Ingredients:


Water, Kaolin, Bentonite (CI 77004), Glycerin, Zinc Oxide, Propylene Glycol, Sulfur, Chromium Oxide Green (CI#77288), Fragrance (Parfum), Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben

This product has one of the shortest ingredient lists for a beauty product, which I guess is a plus, because the simpler, the better! I actually neglected this for a long time since I didn't have pimple problems for a long while but now that I'm breaking out, I've started using this again. I apply a thick layer on top of a pimple before I go to bed and just leave it in. It dries up small pimples overnight, but the bigger pimples need a little more work. Yes, I sleep with green spots on my face, but there's a price to pay for beauty. It's really quite helpful for people with light acne. On the few occasions that I used this as a facial mask during my bedtime routine, I find that I'm significantly less oilier when I wake up. Not bad for a very affordable product!

This product has a 4.1 out of 5 rating in Makeup Alley, which is high for a non-cosmetic product.

Where to buy? Your best bet would be Robinsons Department Stores.

How Much is Too Much?

Being the beauty junkie that I am, with a sister who's pretty vain herself, we've seriously accumulated a lot of beauty products. When our household helper says that she's going to clean our room, she says she's going to Watsons. And in the past my friends have also remarked that it's like a little PCX in our room. So without further ado, I give you, pics of our beauty products/toiletries:

more...

more....

the biggest stash of beauty products...

but it still doesn't end there...

and some more...

and more.

Ughhh... These aren't all mine, but I'll admit that at least 60% of these are mine. I have so many bottles of lotion and body colognes that are still unopened. I bought none of them though. They were all given to me. This doesn't even include my makeup collection, which I have a lot of too, especially since I'm a makeup artist.

I'm aware that we have too much stuff though so I've resolved to consuming five bottles before the end of year, and my sister has pledged to finish three. If it has to be replaced, though, like facial toner and the like, it doesn't count. I also haven't bought any beauty products aside from a facial masque and anti-acne stuff. It's really time to lessen the clutter. 

How about you? Do you think it's too much? I'd love to know your thoughts.

Current Favorites Part II

Hello everyone! Here is part two of my current favorites post. I already have a lot of products and I don't think I need to be buying more since I already have a lot of favorites among the ones in my stash. So here is part two!

Current favorite finishing powder: Guerlain Meteorites

Yes, it comes at a very steep price, but I'll tell you why I think this product is unique: I've tried a lot of oil-control powders out there and there is seriously NOTHING out there that can control my oily face for more than one and a half hours. Yes, I'm that oily. With Meteorites, however, I still oil up but I look more dewy rather than greasy-oily.

Current favorite makeup remover: Clinique Take the Day Off Makeup Remover

I'm so glad that my mom sent me a bottle of this. It's pricey for a makeup remover, but this one removes waterproof makeup easily without irritating my eyes.

Current favorite lip balm: Human Heart Nature Lip Balm

Okay, this is a picture of the old packaging, but I haven't picked up a new one yet. My gosh, I love this to bits. The best part is that it only costs P65! Who can complain?

Current favorite mascara: Maybelline The Magnum Volum' Express Waterproof

This is my favorite among the Maybelline mascaras I've tried. It's not clumpy and adds a good amount of volume as well. 

There you go for my current favorites for now. I'll be posting individual reviews of my other current favorites in the future so watch out for that.

Current Favorites

Hello everyone! I'm really sorry for not updating my blog often. I tried to but I've been really busy lately and to make matters worse, my hard drive crashed! Ughh. So anyway, I've accumulated so much stuff already that I rarely purchase anything anymore. My room is sort of like a little Watsons already, so I really have to use up what I have before I purchase even more. So for now, I'd like to show you my current favorites among the things that I'm using. 

Current favorite cleansing oil: Shu Uemura High Performance Balancing Cleansing Oil Fresh

Whoa that's a long name. I've seriously tried all the variants of the Shu Uemura cleansing oils, and I feel that this one is the best for my skin type. The makeup removing properties are just okay, but this helps make my skin less oily, so I will keep repurchasing this until I find something that works as well but more affordable and will not break me out.

Current favorite evening product: M2 Skin Refinish 20% (formerly Mama Lotion)

I'm currently on my second bottle. It has a high price tag, but my first one lasted me at least six months. This is very good for my uber oily skin. It helps keep breakouts at bay and is an anti-aging product as well.

Current favorite foundation: Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup

This is my favorite liquid foundation! Its staying power is superb, and after I oil up I still look good.

Current favorite body scrub: Asian Secrets Lulur Whitening Body Scrub

I still haven't found anything to replace this. I haven't seen any whitening effects (which I'm not really after) but it's affordable, exfoliates without being too abrasive, not to mention it smells good!

How about you? What are your current favorites?

Product Review: The Balm Cosmetics Liquid Timebalm Spot Concealer with Tea Tree Oil

Hello lovelies! Did you miss me? I'm sorry for not updating my blog. I went on a self-imposed exile for a few weeks to deal with something important. I'm not gonna spill anything for now, though. So anyway, back to business! I've been dealing with a lot of stress lately, and as a result, I've been having really bad breakouts. My self-esteem is suffering from all these zits, so I had to find a spot concealer with tea tree oil to help heal my zits while I recover. I remember reading some good reviews about The Balm Liquid Timebalm so I gave this a try.

There are three shades available: Fair, Nude and Honey. Nude was the closest one to my skin tone. This comes with a doe-foot applicator, much like a lip gloss. I recommend that you don't put this directly on your face, otherwise you might end up with more concealer than you can handle.

Here's a blended swatch on my hand:

As you can see, the concealer is not completely yellowish. There's a bit of a salmon undertone, but still workable for blending onto pimples.

PROS

• The tea tree oil helps heal zits.
• A little goes a long way
• Provides good coverage.

CONS

• Because it's liquid it takes longer to dry
• Not that long-lasting; I have to reapply after a few hours.

TIP: For spot concealing, I find it better to use a small concealer brush instead of my fingers. This way, the concealer only goes into the spot as opposed to all over your face. Don't forget to set with powder.

Place bought: Beauty Bar for P875.

Will I repurchase? Maybe. Hopefully I won't have to buy another one since I rarely breakout and just have the occasional zit.

Other spot concealers with tea tree oil that you can try are The Body Shop and Fashion 21.

Lovin' Zumba!

This is going to be a short post. Several months ago, I availed of Metrodeal's voucher for Gold's Gym. It entitled the user to 10 Zumba classes for only P1000. It's really such a steal because it's like paying for P100 per class only. I haven't been able to use it until recently, and I must say that I am loving it. I'm not a very fit person, so I was worried that I would have a hard time keeping up. Surprisingly, Zumba is not a very high-intensity cardio workout, and I don't get drained after every workout. The pace is just right for me. I'm finding that I get excited every time I'm going to a class. Metrodeal is offering a similar deal again, and of course, I bought myself a new voucher! For those, who are interested in trying this out, head on over to Metrodeal. Hurry, though, the deal will be expiring soon!

Bargain Alert: Enza Nails and Spa Turns 4!

Oh yes, I must be one of the most feet-obsessed people out there. I very rarely do my own polish application now because I seriously can't do it the way professionals do it, and I do like the pampering time I get from my pedicure sessions! I've taken it upon myself to explore different nail spas around my area, and Enza Nails and Spa is no exception.

I spend a lot of time in Katipunan, and I remember passing by Enza but they're always fully booked! So you can imagine my excitement when they opened a new branch along Garnet Road, Ortigas! And since it's the franchise's 4th anniversary, their giving a 40% discount on all services (valid only for their Ortigas branch and their main branch, Katipunan).

Now that's a real bargain! A pedicure costs P150, but they charge an additional P40 for premium polish (which is Orly), but with a 40% discount, you save a whole lot of money. You can always bring your own polish (that's what I do) to save a little bit of money. I love that their pedicure comes with a foot soak and a short massage, and I don't even need to pay extra for french tips! I will definitely be coming back here.

Serious Talk: Why I Don't Do EOTDs Anymore

Hello everyone! I'd like to start the week with something a little bit serious. Back when I was just starting with makeup, I really didn't know anything about using eyeshadow, and I experimented eagerly with different eye looks. Eventually, as my makeup addiction heightened, I studied professional makeup. However, now, I almost never present EOTDs anymore, which may look ironic. Now that my eyeshadow skills have improved, that's when I stop posting EOTDs? I still show FOTDs sometimes, but don't focus on eye makeup anymore. That's because my eye makeup is really simple. Why? I have realized that my eyelids are extremely uneven. Actually, I only have a double lid on one eye. The other eye is a monolid. It's not just that one eye has a bigger lid than the other, one eye has no lid at all! This has frustrated me to no end, and the only way to even out my eyes with makeup is to put an absurd amount of eyeliner in one eye (putting very thick falsies also helps camouflage the problem). Of course, I don't want to to that. I've tried eyelid tape but it looks very unnatural, and I don't want to use eyelid glue because I'm afraid of the wrinkles I can get from all that tugging.

This dilemma has frustrated me to no end, which brings me to another topic: cosmetic surgery. I'm contemplating getting blepharoplasty (double eyelid surgery) in the future to correct this problem. I know my eyelids aren't as big of a deal as I'm making it, after all, we all tend to amplify our flaws. This flaw in particular really bugs me, and I might just be willing to go under the knife for this. I don't plan to get it anytime soon, but maybe in the future.

I'm still thinking about this really hard. What are your thoughts about this?

Tools for Volumized Hair: Volume Hair Base Review

Hello everyone! So now, I'm here for part two of my Tools for Volumized Hair special. Another tool to volumize hair without teasing that is getting quite popular locally is something called the volume hair base. I've seen this being sold on facebook locally, but I was finally able to get my hands on it when I went to Hong Kong last June at a cheaper price! Since I've been looking for ways to volumize my hair without teasing, I was eager to try this out.

This usually comes in sets of two. The volume hair base is a sort of velcro sponge that is placed near the crown of the head to give the illusion of more volume. One piece won't give you a beehive hairdo, but it certainly adds more volume. 

PROS

• The velcro has a good grip on my hair
• It's not hard to cover it up with my hair, because it blends in well with dark hair
• The bump doesn't look unnatural

CONS

• People with dark hair might have trouble covering this up
• For super big hairdos, teasing is still needed
• A little bit expensive for something that didn't cost much to make, but better to spend on this than damage your hair from teasing.

Conclusion: Between this and bumpits, this is definitely the winner for me!

Will I buy this again? Hopefully I won't need to if I don't lose them.
Where to buy: Online resellers for around P170-250 for one set.

Tools for Volumized Hair: Bumpits Review

This is going to be a two-part special on tools used to volumize hair. No, I'm not talking about hairspray, I'm talking about actual hair inserts. For the first part, I will be reviewing the popular Bumpits.

What the product says:


*Comfortable,leave-in, self-gripping, hidden inserts
*Create perfect volume every time!
*For classic volume in crown, try bumpits
*Instructions are included
*Easy to create dozens of styles
*Made in China

At first, this was being marketed as something that didn't require any teasing. They eventually dropped that, because if you read the instructions inside, it does require teasing.

Bumpits are available in three colors to match hair color: blonde, brunette and black. It comes with 5 pieces: One extra large one, two large ones and two small ones. I bought mine from a local reseller from Ebay. For the life of me, I really don't understand why they'd send me a blonde-colored one, knowing that Filipinas have black hair, and also the picture they had showed black bumpits. Anyway, moving on to the actual using of the product.

I find that you really have to tease a lot when using this product, or else you will create an odd bump like having a headband inside your hair. It's also pretty hard to cover up the bumpit. Even if I used a black bumpit, I imagine that the shiny plastic will still show through the hair. Maybe this will work if there are hair extensions on the top part of your head, but without them you'll have to have a LOT of hair to cover this one up.

I haven't used this going out and I probably never will as I find them difficult to use.

How about you? Do you have these? Have you used it? How do you find them. Please share your thoughts.

Stay tune as I review another tool for volumizing hair.

Great Find: Jane Iredale Purelash Extender and Conditioner

Hello everyone! I'd like to share with you a great find that I made. This came with a goodie bag that I got from skincarerx.com. It was a while before I started using this, and boy am I glad I did!

This is best used as base before putting on mascara. This coats my lashes, and in the process, helps lengthen it. The best part, though, is that when I use this, I experience absolutely no smudging at all! If you follow my blog, then you'll know that I have extremely oily lids that cause even waterproof mascaras to smudge on me. With this on, I'm much more confident that I won't have raccoon eyes at the end of the day. I find that this works even better than my Clarins Double Fix Mascara! I will definitely repurchase!

Mich and Myl Nails @ Ortigas Center

If there's one service that I always pay for, it would be pedicures and foot spas. I'm not confident to do my own nails, unfortunately. I do have some polishes at home, but I found that doing my own nails never resulted in something as neat as having it done by the pros.

I'm really delighted that two new nail salons opened up literally just across the street from where I live. I tried the one, Mich and Myl Nails because they had a promo of 30% of all services until August 31 (tomorrow).

The manicure/nail art station. It reminds me of CANS.

The pedicure/foot spa station:

This salon has a lot of materials for nail art. It has more than the average nail salon, IMO. They also do gel/acrylic nails.

I enjoyed their service. I availed of a foot spa (that comes with a pedicure). Unfortunately, though, you'll have to add P50 if you want to use OPI nail polish. I forgot the regular nail polish that they have (the name didn't really ring a bell for me). However, I just bring my own polish since I have several here at home, anyway. I also added some nail art for my big toes:

I'm sorry, I know there's a bit of hair on my foot :P Yes, I'm a hairy girl. 

The whole experience lasted a little over two hours. I have nothing bad to say about their service. Everyone was polite and accomodating. I just wish they had their own restrooms like a lot of other nail salons. I'll be trying another nail salon in the area so stay tune folks!

Mich and Myl Nails is located at Emerald Tower, along the corners of F. Ortigas Jr. and Garnet Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig City

Product Review: Maybelline the Magnum Volume Express Mascara (Waterproof)

Maybelline mascaras are people's go-to mascaras. Why? It makes sense not to spend so much money on something that has to be thrown out every three months. Maybelline mascaras have good reviews at a price that won't dent your wallet too badly. One of these is the Magnum Volume Express. It's been getting a lot of positive reviews but I haven't had a chance to try it until now.

Before you continue reading, please know that I have very, very oily lids. With the exception of fiber mascaras, I haven't tried a mascara in a long time that didn't smudge on me, even if I stayed in an airconditioned room all day and didn't sweat at all. Most of the time, I still use my Clarins Double Fix Mascara on top, and even then, I still encounter smudges sometimes. Waterproof mascaras haven't seen oily until they meet me :)

After one coat of Magnum mascara, I did get more volume and length, nothing very drastic, but good enough. I only use one coat of mascara on myself because the more I pile on, the uglier it will look when it smudges. And besides, I have long lashes already so I just want to enhance them further.

(Sorry for the messy brows. I always do my brows last)

I find that this mascara is not clumpy, and on a day when I don't sweat, I find that this one doesn't smudge or flake on me. On days that I know I'll be out in the sun or doing some walking, I still use my Clarins Double Fix Mascara as a safety measure (I don't want to take chances). This is definitely the most waterproof Maybelline Mascara I've tried to date. It's not a pain to remove, either.

Will I repurchase? YES!!

I'm Back from Cebu!

I'm back from my Cebu trip and I must say I love it there! Now I know what's so charming about it.

We stayed in the newly-opened Golden Berry Suites care of our Ensogo coupon! We paid less than P3,000 for a suite with a king-sized bed and a balcony (although the view is not good LOL)

Here's my sister at the bed. She loved it so much she didn't want to leave.

We spent our first day sight-seeing, and of course we went to the usual tourist spots. I saw something I did not expect, though, and this was in front of Sto. Nino Church:

I don't know exactly what it's called, but it's really beautiful. I never thought I could find something like this in the Philippines.

I love that Cebu is significantly cheaper than Manila. Here's a picture of a really large dessert we had from Casa Verde, known as Death by Chocolate. It's so big for P125!

Aside from cheaper food, the massages are also cheap. Thai massages are common in Cebu and they offer it for as low as P150 per hour. Sadly, though, the cab price is the same as Manila :(

A few minutes away from the city and you can go to higher ground and see the Cebu night lights! Here is Mr. A, a restaurant with a nice view!

I really enjoyed my trip! Hope to see Cebu again soon!

Will Be Jetsetting Again!

I'm sorry for not being able to update my blog. I just came from a shoot today, I'm so tired but I cannot rest because I gotta pack. I'll be leaving for Cebu tomorrow and I'll be there for three days. So I'll be signing off for tonight. See you next week!

My Favorite Way to Wear Concealer

I'm sure everyone has their favorite type of concealer. As for me, my favorite type of concealer would me mineral concealer. First of all, I don't need heavy coverage under my eyes, it doesn't have any harmful chemicals and it has some ingredients that help shield our skin from UV rays. Unfortunately, it also has a big downside: you have to apply it in very thin layers, or else it will cake. I honestly don't have the patience to do this every morning, so I apply my concealer in a different way. I combine it with my eye cream.

I just tap a little mineral concealer at the back of my hand, and then mix a small amount of eye cream with it. I end up with a sort of liquid-y concealer.

I find that this method works with most kinds of eye creams. This way, applying concealer becomes a breeze and I don't have to worry about caking. I can control the coverage with the amount of concealer I mix with my eye cream. Plus, I find that mineral concealer stays on me the whole day!

Musical Theater Review: 9 Works Theatrical's Sweet Charity

Last week, I watched 9 Works Theatrical's Production of Sweet Charity. Wanna know what I thought? Click HERE to read it in my musical blog :)

Product Review: Blinc Kiss Me Mascara

picture taken from www.sephora.com

Product description:

What it is:
The famous pioneering, tube-technology water-resistant mascara.

What it does:
Blinc Kiss Me Mascara is the original tube-technology mascara. It's invented to form tiny water-resistant "tubes" around your lashes for maximum amplification and hold, rather than painting them like conventional mascaras. Once applied, the tubes bind to your lashes and cannot run, smudge, clump, or flake, even if you cry or rub your eyes.

What else you need to know:
This mascara adds both volume and length, to give you a radiant natural look that lasts all day. Neither water nor pressure alone will remove Kiss Me Mascara. Only the combination of lots of warm water and gentle pressure (no need for harsh makeup removers) will slide the tiny tubes effortlessly off your lashes into your hand. Upon removal, you will actually see the tiny tubes slide into your hand.

Among the nominees in the 2008 Best of Sephora, Blinc Kiss Me Mascara has is clinically tested to be non-irritating, making it ideal for sensitive eyes, contact lens wearers, and active people in search of a mascara whose look, hold, and ease of removal is without compromise.

I finally gave in and purchased this when Beauty and Minerals went on sale! I've been wanting my own tube of Blinc Kiss Me Mascara for a long time, so this was the perfect chance to try it out. So after using it a few times, I'm ready to say what I think about this mascara.

First of all, I love the packaging! It comes in a tube that houses the actual mascara.

Now on to the actual mascara:

PROS

• I truly have the oiliest lids on the planet and no waterproof mascara ever works me. But this mascara, just like other fiber/tube mascara, doesn't smudge on me!
• Lengthens my lashes
• Another pro of fiber/tube mascaras is that it's easy to remove and doesn't take your real lashes with you.
• The long thin wand easily reaches my inner lashes

CONS

• Although it didn't smudge, there was a bit of flaking on my lower eyelid
• clumps my lashes a bit
• It is a wet mascara, which some people might not like. In my experience, since I have long lashes especially on my right eye, I find that while it's drying it actually touches my eyelid and smears a couple of times O.O
• If you are looking for volume, this mascara is not for you.
• A little expensive

Here's a pic of my lashes before and after I used Blinc Kiss Me:

Sorry for my eyebrows. I always do my eyebrows last, you see. Anyway, from the picture, you can see that my lashes became longer, although it clumped a bit.

Conclusion: All-in-all, I consider this to be an everyday mascara, not the type that I would wear for special occasions. I love that it didn't smudge on me, which is very rare for a mascara indeed.

Will I buy again? Maybe, but probably not at regular price. I just don't want to spend too much on mascaras because they have a short lifespan.

My Venture into Eyelash Perming @ Lavish Lashes Salon

I have been curious about eyelash perming for quite sometime now. I have long eyelashes already, so I didn't want extensions since they're a hassle to take care off. After thinking about it carefully, I decided to get my lashes permed. I thought about where to have it done, and I finally settled on Lavish Lashes Salon.

I'm not sure about other salons, but Lavish Lashes Salon is actually quite picky with their customers. They require a certain length of lashes before they agree to perform the procedure. They told me that some of my lashes on the inner corners are shot and won't curl properly. 

So I was led inside and it's actually quite cozy. I had to shut my eyes for 1 hour and 30 minutes. I didn't feel any pain during the procedure, but after one eye felt a little itchy (I have sensitive eyes). So here is the end result:

My curl looks natural! I'm happy with the result. And even though they said that my inner corners won't curl, it actually did! Sorry for the messy eyebrows. This is how it looks like without any makeup on: thick and the hairs are facing down.

Some tips:

• If you don't like to sleep, prepare a playlist to last an hour and a half because you really can't open your eyes.
• You can't wet your eyes for 24 hours after the procedure, so be prepared with some facial wipes.

Will I do this again? Probably yes. It's less hassle to take care off and I can cut curling my lashes from my makeup routine. It's supposed to last for 2-3 months. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Wallet damage: P600.

Nail It! Salon near Katipunan, Quezon City

I spend a lot of free time in Katipunan so I spend that time for my grooming needs: pedicures, waxes, haircuts and other stuff. I've already explored a good number of nail salons in or near Katipunan and will continue to do so.

For my nail-related needs in Katipunan, I've grown fond of Get Polished, but recently, I got curious about Nail It. I've been seeing it recently on my way to Lay Bare Waxing Salon. On a whim, I decided to give it a try.

Loving the purple and white motif!

The waiting area:

Cashier/payment area:

and the lounge:

I just got the regular pedicure. Although the nail technician who did my nails didn't have the most gentle hands on earth, I didn't get any wounds which is the most important thing.

The cleaning costs P120 and the polish application costs P100 so I paid P220 all-in-all. It costs around the same price as the average nail salon. For that price, I got a little foot soak with a very light foot exfoliation, nail cleaning, a mini-leg massage and nail polish application.

Nail It uses only Orly and The Face Shop polishes, which might be a bit of downer for girls who are not fans of these brands. They also have several packages to help us save money! Plus, get this: Lay Bare VIP Cardholders get 10% off according to my suki waxing lady. I haven't confirmed this, though, since I only found out about it when I went to Lay Bare after my pedicure. Boohoo :( Oh well, next time!

Mentholatum Lip Ice Swatches

Okay, okay. I admit it, I bought the two other variants of the Lip Ice SPF 15 that I found in Watsons. After reviewing Lip Ice in Candy Apple, I actually went back and bought Pretty Pink and Sweet Rose. So I thought that I'd swatch it for you guys since there are no testers in Watsons.

from L-R: Candy Apple, Pretty Pink and Sweet Rose

Candy Apple, which I previously reviewed, is the most pigmented among them. Pretty Pink is anything BUT pink. It's actually a peach-y color. Sweet Rose is a slightly lighter version of Candy Apple. I recommend buying only one of either Candy Apple and Sweet Rose since they're similar in color.

How do you find these?

On Why I Haven't Been Blogging

Hello pretty people! I have to apologize for not blogging recently, but for the past week I have been battling cellulitis. It began as a simple bite (most likely by a cockroach) but got infected by some bacteria. I actually have a feeling that the bacteria itself came from the cockroach. We never know where it's been! That same day, I had a hard lump that was around 1x1 inch and painful. The next day, I could barely walk going home so I passed by a doctor she diagnosed it as cellulitis (which confirmed what I had searched in the internet). My bump had grown more than twice its size. The doctor started me on a regimen of oral and topical antibiotics, but for several days it still continued to grow. My foot had really swollen, too. I had a hard time walking for days and sometimes, I was confined to the bed. It's only now that I'm already walking properly, although my leg hasn't healed yet. I still experience some pain. But as of today, I am back to work. Hopefully, my leg will continue healing soon and I can start blogging again. 

'Til Then!

Urban Decay Releases its Fall Collection!

Hello everyone! Who here loves Urban Decay? I know I do! With the exemption of their glittery shadows, I love their eyeshadows! They're creamy and pigmented for an affordable price. Last night, I got an email from Urban Decay about their Fall Collection and this one caught my eye: the Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Palette!

I want this! But unfortunately, it's out of stock in the Urban Decay website. Hopefully, they'll have stocks again! How about you? Are you eyeing this?

Mentholatum Lip Ice in Candy Apple

I am probably the last person to get into the Lip Ice craze! When this first became popular, I didn't really buy any because I had a lot of lip stuff. But I've been craving for some lippies lately and I do need some with SPF 15, so I gave in and bought my very first Lip Ice lip balm.

What I like about it:

• It has no mineral oil.
• It contains SPF 15.
• It has beeswax
• It's reasonably priced at around P130.

What I don't like:

• It smells weird O.o

I was actually surprised by the pigmentation of this lip balm. I thought it would just have a slight tint but it's actually quite pigmented. It has a glossy finish. Don't expect much in terms of staying power, after all it's just a lip balm.

To give you an idea, here is a picture of my lips without lip balm and with lip balm:

What do you think? I'd love to know your thoughts.

Beauty Lemming: NARS Blush/Bronzer Trio

Ever since I read about this from beauty blogs months back, I knew I wanted this: the blush/bronzer trio from NARS' Portrait of Paradise. It costs a pretty penny at $55, but it includes 3 iconic NARS products: Orgasm blush, Albatross highlighter and Laguna bronzer. I have Orgasm and it's one of my favorite blushes! I just hope that this will be available locally. Please oh please oh please!

My Mani-Pedi Experience @ Studio Zen Salon

If you're like me, then you're addicted to purchasing groupon deals from sites such as ensogo, metrodeal, etc. I love these groupons! They're a great way to save money, but be careful, some of them may be misleading. Anyway, I'm not going to talk about that today. I'm going to talk about a deal that I purchased a few months ago, but I haven't been able to post. I bought a deal from ensogo where I only paid 250 for a pedicure and manicure at Studio Zen Salon. 

As of now, they have only two branches: one in Cubao and a newly-opened one in Katipunan. Since I'm always in Katipunan, I opted to have mine done there.

Upon entering, I was greeted by a nicely-decorated interior. Its motif is black and white. Classy but at a student's price.

Sadly, I wasn't able to take a picture of the pedicure/manicure area, which was quite cozy.

So let me tell you about the highlights and lowlights of my experience:

HIGHLIGHTS

• It's common for hair salons to have a limited selection of nail polish. However, aside from Orly and Sally Hansen polishes, they also have some Misa polishes which made me happy because they're not common here :)

LOWLIGHTS

• Only one person did both my manicure and pedicure so it took longer than I hoped for.
• They don't have a base coat, so if you're peculiar about that better bring your own.
• There is only one parking slot :( They should really do something about that. It took me a long time to park.

The unique thing about this salon is that for a certain amount, you can avail of unlimited sessions of a certain service. For example, for only P590 a month, you get unlimited manicures and pedicures! So it's very affordable if you like getting your nails done all the time!

As for me, I think I will stick to nail salons for my nail jobs :)

Product Review: Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel

Hey everyone! How are you all doing? The rains were stronger than usual today in my part of the world. Anyway, today I will review Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel. This is just a sample that was given to me. For a while, it was just sitting in my dresser, but lately since I've been doing some traveling, this was the perfect opportunity to try this out.

As you might know, gel moisturizers are better for oily-skinned gals like me. This gel is very easily absorbed by the skin, and leaves the skin feeling smooth. There's absolutely no greasy feel. I also didn't experience any breakouts from this. Your male friends/BFs might also appreciate this because it doesn't feel like putting cream on their face. Take note that dry-skinned individuals may find that this is not moisturizing enough for them.

Will I buy this again? If this were cheaper, I'd definitely buy this, but the price is a little prohibitive. For those who'd like to try this out, ask your friends and relatives in the US to buy this for you.