My First Slightly Smokey FOTD

Not many people know this, but I actually live in three different places. Although effective this April, it will become one only! LOL So I can't always have my makeup with me wherever I go. When I had an unexpected gig, I had to put on a face since it was night time! I couldn't work with much, since I only had my Ecotools 5-piece brush set (with only one eyeshadow brush) and my Ulta Get Gorgeous Makeup Kit. I was actually pleasantly surprised with my Ulta set, the blushes have good pigmentation and last long, the eyeshadows are good although they're not really wow, the concealer is not cakey, etc. So, I actually survived! The hardest part with doing this face is that I only had one eyeshadow brush, and I used it to apply four different colors. Baaad me, I know. It's not exactly what I would have wanted, but it had to be done. Anyway, this look had no contour or anything, no brow stuff that I normally use, since I had no stuff to use. LOL

BTW, everything I used came from Ulta except for foundation and mascara. And another BTW, I don't do the darker color on the crease area anymore on my self ever since I discovered that in MU school that it doesn't go well with my eye shape. I'll start doing it again if ever I get eyelid surgery in the future. LOL

I didn't do an uber smokey look since I wasn't sure I could pull it off, so I just did something more subdued.

So here's the look with flash, just so the colors would be more obvious:

 Please excuse the hair. It was still wet when I took the pictures.

A closer look at the eye makeup:

 

 

It's funny how my contacts look blue in pictures, it's actually more gray than blue in real life.

And here is how it finally looks like, without flash:

 

 

So do you think I can pull off an even smokier eye? I'm still quite scared on my own face. Or I should stick to more neutral looks? Next time I will use more appropriate brushes.

The Best of 2009

Hello everyone! Christmas is done, and the year will soon end. So, I'd like to present my list of the best of 2009. Now, when I mean that it's the best of 2009, I'm talking about products that were released in 2009, or have been released previously but didn't make waves until 2009. I loved a lot of products this year but if I put them all, it might take forever. So, here's my version (Please note that they have no particular order):

1. Adorned With Grace Foundation

This foundation was released in 2008 (I think) but didn't become really popular in GirlTalk until late 2008 until early 2009. This is my favorite mineral foundation brand, although I still don't have a full pot myself (I haven't gotten to it yet). It gives me a really natural finish, but at the same time giving me coverage. I wouldn't say full coverage; it's probably a medium.

2. Saizen Charcoal Masque 

This product made waves amongst GirlTalkers and bloggers alike. And why wouldn't it? Its job is to remove whiteheads and blackheads in our faces. And it does exactly what it's supposed to do. And the best part is, it's only P85 (around $1.60).

You can read my full review HERE.

3. Kryolan Products

Makeup artists have been using Kryolan for a long time already, but it didn't make waves in GirlTalk until the 2009. A lot of beauty addicts now have turned to Kryolan as less expensive alternatives to more expensive brands. Products in particular that because sellouts were the TV Paint Stick and the Anti-Shine Powder.

4. MAC Beauty Powder Blush in Summer Rose

This beauty powder blush came out in MAC's A Rose Romance collection. The moment I swiped it I knew it was love! This quickly became my everyday blush. It gave me a sheer wash of color, very natural, as if I didn't have anything on, yet it lasted all day. And who doesn't love the rose design?

5. MAC Mineralize Blush in Hand-Finish

Another favorite blush of mine that came out this year as part of MAC's Colour Craft Collection. It goes on sheer but buildable. It has big glittery bits which not everyone might like, but since I like shimmer I sometimes put this alone for daytime, or put this on top of another blush for night time events.

6. Urban Decay Book of Shadows Vol. II

This is one of the two must have limited edition palettes this year. I missed out on Vol. I and I made sure I wasn't going to miss out on this one. How can I resist Urban Decay? They're creamy and nicely pigmented. I love UD e/s. This palette has 16 shades! It doesn't hurt either that they included two travel sized pencils and a travel sized UDPP to match.

7. Barbie Loves Stila All Doll'd Up Palette

 

 

 

This is the second must-have limited edition palette. Even though I had the UD Book of Shadows already, I couldn't resist getting this too! This palette offers great pigmentation, and it's a steal for P1250 (around $25). The advantage of this over the UD palette is that this is much smaller and easier to tote around.

So this is my list. What's on your list? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

 

In Memoriam

Our beloved guinea pig, Rufus, or as he's fondly called, Piggy or Porky (being a pig :P) passed away last December 24, 2009. It was so sad because he died the day before Christmas. I woke up to the voice of my dad outside my door saying that Rufus had died. I went out and saw my sister crying over his dead boy. My sister said he had a painful death; he was having seizures before finally resting. We don't know what caused his death. There was also no way to bring him to the vet because it was early in the morning and it was the day before Christmas.

Rufus was only with us for four months. We got him when he was a tiny baby for my sister's psychology class. She had to train him to push a ball into a goal, which he learned how to do successfully. He had a big appetite, but he was pretty much contented with what he had. He made a lot of noise when he was hungry, but he was still so cute and irresistable. We cremated him that same day, which took a while. Now, I hope he's truly in peace. We'll miss you Rufus!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Hello everyone! I'd like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

My Experience with Geo Contact Lenses

Hello everyone! I'm back with another pictureless post. I'd just like to share my experience regarding Geo Circle Lenses. Now I have nothing against them, it's just that I really wanted them to work for me. Unfortunately, it didn't.

I tried it because it was cheap at less than P800, plus everyone is so into it. So when my Flex  Wear contact lenses, became too uncomfortable to wear already, I pre-ordered a pair of Geo Lenses. Upon wearing them, my eyes became red after 3 or 5 days. In my case, when my eye gets red, it gets uncomfortable. The other way around also happens: when my eye gets uncomfortable, it will turn red. So when my eye turned red, as it sometimes happens due to irritation, I rest my eyes for 2-3 days until my eyes become normal again. In this case, however, everytime I wear them again, my eyes became really uncomfortable, and after a few hours of use, it turns red. Even if I give my eyes a rest again for a few days, the same thing will happen again. So sadly, after two weeks of trying, I gave up and bought myself a pair of Flex Wear again :(

I'm envious of the girls who can wear Geo Contact Lenses without having any problems. I have sensitive eyes, so this wasn't for me. I noticed that these lenses tend to get dry faster than most brands, which is why it's giving me problems. Also, I wear contact lenses for 12-14 hours, which is quite long. I'm just sharing my experience with you other gals out there. Other gals don't seem to have any problems with this brand. However, this might not be the brand for people with uber sensitive eyes like me. HTH!

My Christmas Wishlist

Christmas is only a few days away so I thought I'd post some of the things I want for Christmas. Maybe Santa will read this and get me something. Tee hee!

Here's my christmas wishlist:

• a vanity case with a lighted mirror (preferably with a stand too!)
• a professional airbrush kit
• Graftobian set of cream foundations
• MAC 109
• MAC 187
• MAC 217
• a pair of Havaianas High flip flops

It's just a small list. Nothing too fancy! Santa, can you hear me? LOL.

The Shades of U is Having Another Giveaway!

The Shades of U is having a giveaway! And yes, she's giving away MAC brushes!

Up for grabs are two holiday sets:

 

 Wanna know how you can win this? Click HERE!

How to: Mature Makeup

I've always been curious about the right way to do the makeup of more mature people like people in their late 40's onwards. Their skin is different so I was unsure on how to do it but thankfully I learned this during my makeup classes in Basement Academy.

So here are some tips on how to do mature makeup:

• Make sure that the whole face as well as the eye area is very well moisturized before applying any makeup.
• You may want to use a purple base to brighten up their skin tone.
  
• Mature skin tends to be dry so skip the oil control products and look for products that are moisturizing instead.
• Don't be afraid of shimmer! It still works even with more mature people.
• Mature people may have a preference for lipstick colors such as raisin red, brown, etc. so it's better to ask them what color of lipstick they would like.
  

Specific concerns for mature makeup:

• Expression lines: Use concealer only as needed as they might settle into the expression lines.
• Thinning eyebrows: You might want to draw outside the brows to make them look thicker. Thicker brows will give a more youthful appearance.
• Thinning eyelashes: You might want to ask if they are open to the idea of wearing falsies.
  
• Thin lips: A lip liner is handy for this.
• Drooping skin: Apply makeup in an upwards motion to make a lifting effect.
  

So here's an example of mature makeup. In the before picture, she actually had makeup which she place herself. I just forgot to take a picture of her without any makeup on. HTH!

Product Review: MAC Select Cover-Up Concealer

Hello everyone! Today I'll be reviewing another concealer: my MAC Select Cover-Up Concealer. This is my only MAC concealer so I can't compare it with the other MAC concealers.

photo taken from www.maccosmetics.com

Product Description:
Liquid camouflage for the skin. Texture-free, virtually invisible. Comes in a tube. Blends in. Brightens and lightens dark areas, erases spots, evens-out skin tones. Makes skin flaw-free. Use pre-foundation, or on its own. Don't reveal it, conceal it!

This concealer offers a light to medium coverage, which is good enough for me because I don't have extremely dark undereyes. I find that it does the job of covering the discoloration. I cannot say how well this will work for people with very dark undereyes.

So here's my eye without concealer:

And here using my MAC Select Cover-Up in NW20:

 

As you can see, it did the job of brightening my undereye. I find that it blends easily. This does not cake as easily as cream concealers but I find that it still cakes after sometime.

So here's the rundown of the pros and cons:

PROS

• Tube packaging makes it very hygienic; no dipping
• Blends easily; no tugging
• Does the job of concealing
• A little goes a really long way!
  

CONS

• This doesn't cake as easily as cream concealers, but it still does, even with eye cream and setting powder because I have REALLY oily skin.

Will I buy this again? I'm not sure, since there are a lot of concealers I want to try, but so far, among my non-mineral concealers, I really like this!

Where to buy and how much? In MAC stores for P900.

My Teeth Whitening Experience at You and Your Teeth Dental Clinic

A few months ago, I won a free teeth whitening session from The Drama Queen, who was a dentist! So I finally paid her a visit. And she performed a Pola Whitening session on me. No, this is not the whitening session that celebrities use, this is the more tame version which I think is better for people like me who don't want uber white teeth but still want their teeth to be whiter than it really is. I have slightly yellowish teeth from too much coffee, tea and softdrinks so I could really use something like this. I wasn't able to take a before shot, but here's how it looked like after:

I'm sorry my teeth are crooked! Yes I need braces. I'm so happy with the result because my teeth did get noticeably whiter! The drama queen, Crickette is not only pretty but she's nice too! She patiently answered all my questions about teeth. LOL I'm very happy with how my teeth turned out.

Would you like to have this done? Are you looking for a dentist? You can check out here clinic: You and Your Teeth Dental Clinic, located in #16-D Timog Avenue, Quezon City. Or you can click here to find out more!

Review: Kate Mascara Base

Hello everyone! I'm really sorry for not being able to blog. December is a very toxic month for me, with all the Christmas concerts, weddings, etc. I promise to be a more diligent blogger after Christmas. Haha. So for today, I'll be reviewing Kate Mascara Base. Here is a picture in the box. What I've actually been eyeing is Clarins Double Fix Mascara, which is said to make your mascara uber smudgeproof. But I saw this Kate Mascara Base during the Luxeasia sale in Ortigas and decided to try it out.

Here it is in the box:

 Let's take a look at it's wand:

It looks like your ordinary mascara wand. When applied on your lashes, it looks almost clear, but there are some white fibers that stick out. They won't be seen though once you apply your mascara.

So let's give a rundown of the pros and cons:

PROS

• Cute packaging
• Adds length to your lashes even before you put your mascara
• Holds the curl up all day

CONS

• Did not make my mascara smudgeproof

Sadly, my Maybelline Cat Eyes Mascara, which is supposedly waterproof, still smudged on me even when using this. But all-in-all, I think it's still a product worth trying.

Will I buy this again? Maybe.

This retails for P900. However, I got this on sale. Be on the lookout, as Kanebo frequently joins Luxasia sales and stuff. They also give a 10% discount in their stores sometimes.

Red Lipstick? Need Your Help.

Okay so I have something to ask you, my dear readers. I'm a lipgloss kind of girl, and I don't use lipsticks, but I do have them as that's what I use for other people. A few weekends ago, I learned that the party I was going to had a 20's theme, so yes I really dreaded the fact that I would be using red lipstick! So here's the look I put together for that party:

I'm sorry I couldn't find I better pic. This was taken with flash, so it looks a little scary. So here's me wearing NYX Electra. So what do you think? Did I pull it off? Should I try another shade of red? Should I forego red for good? I'd really appreciate your input.

Major Haul from the U.S.

Hello my dearies! How is everyone? I'm sorry I haven't been blogging lately. I've been very busy. But now I'm back! So I'd like to show you the stuff that my parents brought home when they came from the US. I asked for some of these stuff while some of these were given as gifts. So here's what I found when I came home:

Here's this really cute makeup bag from ULTA. It's pink and shiny! How great is that?

Here it is when it's opened! A makeup kit! It has lots of eyeshadows, lipglosses, some lipsticks and blushes. It also has two shades of concealer and some loose powders. I've tried the eyeshadows and they have good pigmentation. I can't say wow really but for the price I can't complain! The lipsticks are sheer but buildable.

 

 And here's what I've been waiting for the most.....

 

I'm really so excited about this! Here it is when opened.

 

Nice right? It has 16 shades, a mini UDPP and mini 24/7 pencils of Zero and Bourbon. If you've been following my blog for a long time, then you know that I loooove UD shadows! These are really great. Very good pigmentation, and it applies very creamy!

Here's a picture of different stuff from Clinique, Estee Lauder, Elizabeth Arden, and ELF. Also in the picture is an NYC waterproof pencil (which I've been reading good reviews about) and a NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Strawberry Milk. I originally asked for 4 shades of JES as well as a Concealer in a Jar but they were all OOS.

 

 And finally, a brush set from MAC's holiday collection and a MAC MSF Natural in Medium Plus.

 

A Moment of Silence...

Today, I am not writing anything about beauty. I'm going to use this space and ask for a moment of silence--a moment of silence for the victims of the Maguindanao massacre. I am so shocked and ashamed that this happened in the Philippines. Our country has turned into Gotham City, where evil runs amok and the corrupt ones in power are paid to keep quiet, while the clean ones are too scared to persecute the ones who are in wrong.What happened was clearly a crime against humanity. Now, the world over is asking for justice, but with our slow and corrupt justice system, I am not confident that this will be resolved right away. I ask for justice for what has happened.

Nyx Round Lipstick Swatches

My pre-order from the Digital Traincase is here! She has one of the cheapest prices for NYX so yeah, I hoarded some lipsticks! And I swatched them for you lovelies since I know that a lot of people are curious with the colors. I actually ordered 11 lippies but Tea Rose was OOS. It's sad because it was one of the colors that I was looking for the most. I also ordered the Leow Cornell 3/8 Maxine's Mop brush which is said to be a dupe of MAC 239. I can't compare though because I don't have the MAC 239.

And here the swatches without flash:

 

Here are the swatches with flash. Please refer to the previous picture for the labels.

 

If you ask me, Strawberry Milk is the hardest shade to pull off. It's probably best for skintones NC15 or lighter. Since I'm an MLBB kind of girl when it comes to lipsticks, my favorite shades are B52 and perfect.

Here's how they look like on my lips (all done without flash):

 

Hope that helped you gals out there!

Droolworthy Giveaways in the Blogger World!

The fabulous giveaways never end! Check these blogs out!

Mommy Fabulous' Giveaway

Princess Livia's Giveaway

Soapaholic's Giveaway

Gel Liner Showdown: MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack vs. Stila Smudgepot in Black

Hello dearies! I have a lot of work to do but I took a quick break to post this entry LOL! I love gel liners. I don't know why haha. That's why I bought both Stila Smudgepots and MAC Fluidline. I put both to the test to show you which withstood more. I'll also reveal which one is my favorite.

First let's go look at the product. The Stila Smudgepot you see here is not the full size. It's the mini size I got as part of a set. The full size of the Stila Smudgepot is bigger than the MAC Fluidline that you can see on your left.

MAC Fluidline: P1,100

Stila Smudgepot Full size: P695 (I'm not sure as I bought this from Ebay)

Packaging: I find that MAC has better plastic, since Stila's plastic cover is made of thin plastic, as opposed to MAC's cover which is made of thick plastic.

So here are the swatches. MAC Fluidline on the left and Stila Smudgepot on the right.

 

As you can see, both liners make a good black, dry fast, although I find that MAC Fluidline is a teeny tiny bit creamier than Stila Smudgepot.

An on to the test. After waiting for both of them to dry, I rubbed both hard with my dry finger. Let's see what happened:

 

As you can see, MAC Fluidline smudged quite badly while Stila Smudgepot smudged just a tiny bit, although it's hard to see in the photo.

I wet both of them through running water:

 

Both showed no change.

Then while they were still wet, I tried rubbing both with my finger.

 

Both smudged a bit, but just a little bit as compared to it's previous state.

So who won? Well, obviously it was my Stila Smudgepot. I've said this a lot of times in Girltalk, Stila is definitely my favorite brand for gel liners! It got everyone beat. Plus it's cheaper than MAC Fluidline but has more product. Yey Stila!

Tip: Right after dipping your brush, close the jar immediately! Or else it will dry up.

To see another eyeliner showdown (Coastal Scents vs. MAC Fluidline), Click here

I Found my HG Liquid Liner!

I love Japanese products! First of all, it's more suited for Asian skin, so yeah, I take a leap of faith. Kanebo is the first Japanese brand I've encountered. Even when I was young, my mom used a lot of stuff from Kanebo, and if you've been reading my blog for a long time, you'll see that she even bought me lovely presents from Kanebo for Christmas.

Anyway, moving on, I got the chance to try this Kate Super Sharp Liner. Before that, I was really lemming for MAC Penultimate Liner because I'm fond of felt-tip applicators for liquid liners since I find that it's easier to use than brush-type applicators. As you might know, it's hard for me to find a budge-proof black eyeliner because I'm the oiliest gal you will ever meet! I'm serious. But one day, while hanging out in SM Makati, the SA of Kanebo applied this on my lids. After a few minutes, it smudged but after I wiped off the immediate smudging, the rest of it stayed put the whole day. So it seemed like a good product so yes, I went ahead and bought it!

I roadtested it now. I primed my lids using UDPP, and then applied this. I experienced no creasing for the first 3 hours! That's really a record for me! After the 4th hour, there was a very teeny-tiny crease in my right eye (because it's more monolidded than my left), but you couldn't even see it unless you look real close! Whoa, I was really impressed because no liquid liners has ever lasted this long without creasing! I've found my HG liquid liner. I didn't even buy MAC Penultimate Liner anymore when it came out.

So here's how it looks like:

 picture taken from www.kaboodle.com

My shade is BK-1 which is the blackest. It's not uber black, but black enough. I can always swipe again if I need it to be darker. I can make a really thin line with it as you can see in my swatch. The texture is not so runny. It's just right if you ask me.

 

I'm loving this because it gets the job done and it's affordable! I got this for less than P600. No need for more expensive brands.

TIPS

• During SM mall sales, Kanebo goes for 10% off. During Luxeasia sales, they become 20% off.
• Be sure to close the tip when not in use or else it will dry up easily.

So to end this I will leave you with an EOTD using the Kate Super Sharp Liner:

 

It's hard to see it well with my monolid eye, but it's there. I'm so happy with this EOTD. Do you know why? Because my eye has very little puffiness in this picture. Yey for enough sleep! Unfortunately, I can't say the same for today because I was so tired last night and I'm still tired today. Haha!

So what's your HG liquid liner? I'd love to hear from you.

Giveaway Update

I'd like to say thank you to everyone who joined my giveaway. But as you know, there can only be one winner. So who will get the Belle de Jour 2010 planner?

and the winner is...........




GEM!

Congratulations! I will be contacting you shortly.

Major Haul + Swatches

 I'd like to show you pictures of my haul last Sunday. This is seriously the most money I've ever spent on one day. Oh well, at least I'm happy :)

I went to Rustans to check out MAC's holiday collection. I got the Haute High Jinks, a Select Cover Up Concealer in NW20. I've never owned any MAC pigments before, so I bought the ones that I felt I could use the most. Then I went to NARS to buy my first ever NARS product, and what else could it be but my very own NARS Orgasm blush! I love this blush and I'm glad to finally have my own. I won't swatch it already since I'm sure many of you have this and there are many swatches around blogger.

Here's a picture of the pigment set when opened. Their packaging and bag is just lovely!

I also went to SM Megamall and bought some stuff there. A lipgloss from In2It, a lip liner from Elianto, and some stuff from Ellana. Ellana Minerals has some really lovely multipurpose minerals. Scroll down to see swatches.

And now for the swatches:

Taken with flash in artificial light:

MAC Haute High Jinks: Reflects Gold, Jardin Aires, Museum Bronze, Rushmetal, Copperized

Taken in natural light, with flash:

All except Reflects Gold, are pigments. Reflects Gold is actually glitter. I'm not impressed with it because the staying power is poor but all the rest are nice, earth colors that are very useful.

Moving on, I'd like to show you the swatches of the three multipurpose minerals I bought and the Yellow Submarine Super Sparkle Powder I bought. I discovered the multi-purpose minerals when I was in makeup school. I got the light colors to use as highlighters in the eyes as a sort-of substitute to MUFE star powders which are expensive.

For P130 (around $2.50) per jar, how can you go wrong?

For those who want to buy any of these products, I hope these swatches helped. I can't wait to use these!