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: Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup

Good morning everyone! How are you doing? It's a thursday today meaning most of you are already looking forward for the weekend. As for me, well, things get busier during the weekend. 

Anyway, today I will be reviewing Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup. Pammy was kind enough to give me a sample and she also raved about it in her blog.

After trying it out a few times, I was really sold! I don't normally use liquid foundation except for events, since I find that it starts looking ugly after several hours because of my uber oily skin. But I think my skin has finally found its match!

This foundation gives a medium coverage. The bottle looks scary because the foundation looks cool- toned when in the bottle, but it actually is warm-toned when applied to the skin.

PROS

• classy packaging
• great staying power
• creates a smooth finish
• comes with SPF 10 for those who skip sunblock
• even after a few hours, my skin just looks dewy instead of looking oily! that way, I'm not so conscious of whether or not I have to blot

CONS

• doesn't come with a pump, so it's hard to get the foundation out
• can be a little hard to blend
• pricey at P1900. but I just think of it this way, I'm just adding P300 to a MAC Studio Fix Fluid, but I get better results!

Topped with my favorite finishing powder (which will be revealed in future posts), I finally look decent and not like an oil mine!

Here's an FOTD of me wearing Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup. I'm sorry I can't take a clearer FOTD, since the lighting here in the house is pretty bad.

Have you tried this? How do you find it? :) Have a great day!

Product Review: IN2IT 2-way Oil-Control Foundation SPF 25

Hello everyone! I know my posts have become rare, it's just that I've been very busy lately but I think I'll have more time for the next week. Anyway, back to business. Recently, I went looking for an affordable pressed powder foundation. I narrowed down my choices to Fanny Serrano and In2It, both well within the below P1000 ($20) range.

So I tried Fanny Serrano on one side of my face, and then In2It on the other side. In the end I decided on In2It because it looked less powdery than Fanny.

I, of course, got the Oil-control variant since I have extremely oily skin, and I need all the help I can get. The coverage is light, so if you are looking for a heavy coverage foundation, this is not for you. This can be used two-way, though. It can be applied wet for more coverage.

I'm liking the finish. It's matte but not flat, and just enhances your skin, but not really covers blemishes. 

Here are the pros and cons:

PROS

• affordable and locally available
• natural finish
• lasts long on my oily skin
• did not break me out
• has SPF 25
• the sponge that comes with it is quite good
• the powder product is silky

CONS

• may cake when retouched
• will not replace concealer
• I tried the tester which was almost empty and when I tried to get powder from the edges, the powder kind of crumbled. That's something to watch out for when the product hits pan.

Here is the compact when opened:

Where to buy and how much? SM Department Stores, Robinson's Department Stores, Watsons, etc. for approx. P624.

Will I buy again? Yes.

TIPS

• In2It frequently has sales, so if you're not in a hurry, you can wait for one but this foundation normally goes on a 10% discount only.
• Wash or replace your sponge regularly to avoid bacteria build-up.

Review: Graftobian Hi-Def Creme Foundation

Remember when I posted that I really wanted a Graftobian Warm Super Palette? When I went to the US, it was out of stock! Thankfully, Joan sold her extra piece. I didn't think twice and bought it right away!

This is a great thing to have in a makeup artist's palette. It comes with 18 warm different shades that range from light to dark. From the pan, it looks cool but actually, when applied, actually blends nicely with the skin.

I tried the colors, and I found that Enchantress and Vixen are the ones that are good matches for me. For this photo, I used Enchantress. Here's a picture of me wearing nothing but foundation. I'm sorry about how I look. I just took a bath and haven't combed my hair.

I have a zit in my left undereye, but it was able to cover it well. I love the coverage and finish that it gives!

PROS

• Did not make me look oilier than I am
• Staying power is good. I don't use traditional foundation for long periods of time because I want to let my skin breathe. I've used it for a maximum of 6 hours and by the time I wash it off, it's still intact, but I do need to blot my face.
• Looks great for pictures, coverage is medium to heavy
• A little goes a long way

CONS

• Can't think of any right now

Don't need a lot of shades? Not to worry. Graftobian sells this in groups of five and in singles. And the good news is that these are available locally.

TIPS AND NOTES

• Most people find that using a sponge works best for cream foundation
• Cream foundation is not likely to provide oil control for gals with oily skin, also it's not likely to dry out the skin of dry skinned gals
• Need a lot of coverage? Cream foundation is a good bet.
• Want to use it for everyday but find it too heavy? Mix it with your favorite moisturizer. The effect is like a tinted moisturizer :)

Make Up for Ever HD Foundation and MAC 130 Brush

I've had my MUFE HD foundation for a long time but never got a chance to review it. Well, I'll finally give my thoughts about it. True to its word, it really is meant for pictures. My skin looks great in photos, but in real life, I'd say that its finish is just like any regular foundation. Its coverage is light to medium, and its finish is matte, unlike the dewy finish of the Revlon HD Foundation.

Staying power is just okay, around 4 hours. Sometimes, I notice that it cakes when I try to retouch it with finishing powder. I guess it's just me since my skin is really oily.

Lately, I've been using my MAC 130 brush to apply my foundation. If you've been following my blog, I picked up one for myself during my trip to the US. It's really much smaller than I imagined, so it takes long to cover your whole face. I have to devote extra time to apply my foundation, but I think the finish is worth it. The result was a very even medium coverage. Yes, this brush is like a hybrid of a stippling brush and a flat top brush. The result is a more precise application than a bigger stippling brush like a MAC 187, since the head is so big that it can tend to apply foundation in sporadically.

So after all my babbling, here is the result of the combination of both products I've been talking about. I first primed my face with TFS Professional Makeup Base in Green (you can read my review about it HERE). And then I applied my HD foundation with my MAC 130. I have bad skin, not because of acne but because of my large pores and depressed acne scars from my childhood, but I don't see it here.

I'll keep using this combination, because it works for me! Have a great day everyone!