Product Review: Clinique Take the Day Off Makeup Remover

I received this as a gift from my mom a while back but I haven't been using it since I still had some Elianto Cleansing Oil which I've been using. Now that it's almost empty, I started using this and boy, have I been missing out! Even the most stubborn liquid eyeliner and the most waterproof mascara comes off easily with this. It's my first time to own a makeup remover that's made up of two parts (one oil-based and one water-based that you have to shake for them to mix) much like the ones from Loreal, Maybelline, etc. I like how it doesn't feel oily and it doesn't hurt my sensitive eyes.

The downside? Only that's it's expensive. That's the only reason why I might not buy this product. I might try something similar. 

Remember, though, I am a firm believer in using a good makeup remover! We don't want to rub rub rub our eyes and get wrinkles!

9 Works Theatrical's Production of RENT

Happy Monday everyone! How was your weekend? I spent my saturday night in RCBC Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium watching RENT so here is my review on it:

I don't consider myself to be a Renthead, because there are other musicals that I prefer over Rent. Nonetheless, I'm very familiar with the show, owning the DVD's of the movie and the Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway. I also have the movie soundtrack as well as the Original Broadway Cast. Having said so, I entered the theater with high hopes. After all, as far as I know this is already the 3^rd run of this musical. The first run was early 2010, when I couldn't find tickets because I bought too late already. The second run was late last year, when the tickets were expensive since it was staged in Rockwell. So I bought my tickets early and was happy for the chance to finally see the musical.

The good thing about Rent is that production-wise, it isn't hard to replicate. The set isn't extravagant (and doesn't change either) and the costumes are simple, too. They're everyday outfits that can be pulled out of an ordinary person's closet. The musicians are composed of a small band of 4 or 5 people. Having said this, you don't need to put in an extravagant amount of money to replicate this in Manila. 9 Works was able to give a good feel of the Broadway show.

Of course, a production doesn't mean anything without a good cast. When it came to acting, the cast was able to capture the essence of their characters. I was especially impressed with Job Bautista as Angel. They got the perfect man to play Angel, the optimistic, dancing, AIDS-stricken cross dresser. Singing-wise (which is the most important part of me), they were okay. Gian Magdangal (Roger) at times reminded me of Adam Pascal's rocky, edgy voice. However, the high ranges of the male characters proved to be a challenge to the male members of the cast. They had to resort to almost shouting their high notes. As a result, power ballads such as Roger's Your Eyes and Collins' I'll Cover You (Reprise) fell a little short for me. This, coupled with the fact that the sound engineer failed to notice that the high was too high (leaving a very penetrating sound when the actors sang in their high range). It's a little hard to explain, but if you know how to operate a sound mixer, you'll know what I'm talking about.

All-in-all, I would say that this was a good production, although it would have been better if the cast were better able to hit the high notes. Nevertheless, this a fresh, young cast whose faces are relatively new in the musical theater scene. I look forward to their blossoming in the years to come.

List of cast that I THINK I saw:

Gian Magdangal - Roger

Sherry Bautista – Mimi

Fredison Lo – Mark

OJ Mariano -Collins

Job Bautista – Angel

Mian Dimacali – Maureen

Jenny Villegas- Joanne

Lorenz Martinez – Benny

Fun Shoot!

Hey everyone. How are you all doing? Me, I'm happy to not have work today. In fact, I didn't have work yesterday either! It's rare for me to not have work for two days in a week because I normally work 6-7 days a week. I have some errands to run, though, but before I go I'd just like to leave you with some pictures from our fun shoot last week at my friend's house.

Model: Cyrene Leicht
Photography: Jomel Tadeo
Makeup: Crystal Milarose Rodis
Hair: Kristine Rodriguez-Lucas

Model: Monica Louise

Photography: Cyrene Leicht

Makeup: Crystal Milarose Rodis

Have a great EDSA Day guys!

How Much Does It Cost to Keep You "Beautiful?"

Like I said in one of my previous posts, I'm not into branded bags, shoes or clothes. Instead, I put my money into prettifying myself. That wouldn't be a problem if I were rich, but I just started working less than two years ago, so I can't say that I'm making a lot lot lot of money. When I recently started computing how much I spend  a month to maintain myself, here's what I got:

Dermatologist: 1,600

Waxing: 450 (thank goodness I have an epilator for other body parts) + tip

Pedicures: approx. 500 plus tip

Hair maintenance: 600-800 for hot oil treatments and haircuts. This is still apart from my rebonding sessions.

So that's already more than P3000 a month, which is still exclusive of rebonding, beauty products, makeup, etc. Yikes!

What about you? How much do you spend on prettifying yourself?

Stila Kitten Eyeshadow and Smudgepot

Stila Kitten is undoubtedly Stila's best-selling eyeshadow. It's so successful that they just had to make a smudgepot and a lip glaze version! I don't have the lip glaze but I have the smudgepot and the eyeshadow. I got the eyeshadow as part of a set. At first, I neglected it but now it's actually my favorite highlighter! And since I love Stila smudgepots I got myself one in the same shade too!

I don't have the container for the eyeshadow since you have to buy it separately, I think.

Here are the swatches. On top is the eyeshadow swatched once. Beneath it is the smudgepot, swatched twice.

As you can see, although they are similar in shade, they differ in terms of intensity (to think I already swatched the smudgepot twice). The eyeshadow can't work on me as an all-over lid color, it's just too light and obvious on my NC25 skin tone. This is really meant to be a highlighter. On the other hand, since the smudgepot is less intense, I can actually apply this all over my lid as an everyday color! It just gives the right amount of shimmer on my lids.

Here's the Kitten smudgepot on my lids:

The camera wasn't able to capture it properly, but it does give a little shimmer to brighten the eyes up. Perfect as an everyday all-over lid color! And the best part? Smudgepots are very crease-resistant, so even without an eye primer, they last around 5 hours without creasing! That's a long time for my very oily lids. With a primer, it stays crease-free even longer!

Have you tried Stila Kitten products? I'd like to know what you think!

NARS Lipstick in Niagara

I've always eyed NARS lipstick in Niagara and now that I have it, I'm loving it! It might look different onl your screens, but it's actually a lovely pink-coral that brightens up the face, but doesn't really steal the spotlight. 

Here is a swatch on my hand:

 

I love NARS lipsticks! They're easy to apply and are long lasting! I only own two shades, though: this one and Schiap.

To give you an idea on how it looks, here's an FOTD:

Isn't it nice how it just brightens my face? What are your thoughts?

Product Spotlight: L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream

Let us not forget to take good care of our hands. I myself am guilty too of leaving my hands un-pampered. As a result, my hands look less than goddess worthy :(

One hand cream I've been curious about is the famous L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream. When an online seller sold a mini size, I grabbed the chance to try it out.

I like that the scent is light and not overwhelming. It's richer than normal lotions (it's made of 20% shea butter) since it's made for our abused hands, so you cannot expect that the lotion is absorbed by the skin in an instant. I apply this before I go to sleep, and my hands are still soft the next morning.

Overall, I think this is a good product, not amazing, though. Hand creams are meant to work slowly, and not change the texture of your hands in an instant. However, I cannot justify shelling out P495 for 1 oz. If anyone gives this to me, though, I'll gladly welcome it and use it!

Have you tried this? What are your thoughts?

Note: My Experience as a Guest MUA @ Clinique Trinoma

Hello everyone! I'm sorry for being MIA. I've been very busy. As you know, I was a guest MUA at Clinique Trinoma. It was a very new experience for me as I have never worked at a booth before.

It's really no joke to stand around for 8 hours in shoes that are not flat. At the end of the day, my feet were so painful that I really walked slowly to the parking lot. Working in sales is never easy. A lot of patience and perseverance is required. Kudos to everyone that works in a mall. Working long hours is never easy.

Thank you Clinique for a unique experience!