Saturday, September 22, 2012

OPI Skull and Glossbones


I just want to share to everyone how pretty my feet looked yesterday. I wore my pink Mel sandals and I had on OPI's Skull and Glossbones. Look how great the pink and grey look together. 
OPI's Skull and Glossbones for me is just simple and pure light grey. I've seen reviews and swatches online where it looked like it had a hint of green. The color pays off differently on different people. I am happy that it's just a pure grey on me. Although at times I think it looks boring. 

I have used this nailpolish with an OPI base and top coat and it has very little signs of chipping. When I took the picture of my feet, it was already the 5th day that I have had this nailpolish on. 


Wednesday, September 19, 2012

MAC Espresso

My eyelids are a little puffy so I can't not use contour on my crease. I, always all the time, add a darker color on my crease to make my eyes look more defined. I am quite boring when it comes to my everyday eye make-up. It's the usual deep brown on my crease and the color play is on my lids. Well, not exactly color play since I do not usually use colorful eyeshadows. It's just different shades of pink, gold, green or bronze.

Ever since I realized that I wanted a matte brown shadow, true brown to be exact, for my everyday eye make-up I have searched high and low for it and it hasn't been easy. I don't understand why most of the brown eyeshadows sold in the Phillipines are red toned. I don't want anything red-toned!

So anyway, after months of searching for a really nice true brown eyeshadow I found MAC's Espresso.

Color/Pigmentation
The color is perfect! It's the perfect shade of brown for me and it's matte too! It's just a true warm brown. The only thing I don't like is the pigmentation. I wish it was a little more pigmented.

To achieve the deep brown on this swatch, I had to heavily swipe the eyeshadow several times.

Texture
Texture is really good as with all the MAC eyeshadows. It's really soft and not powdery at all. You also don't have to worry about fall-offs.

Lasting power
I have never tried using this eyeshadow without any eye primer on so I wouldn't really know how it holds up on it's own. I guess it stays on good since all MAC eyeshadows do.

A little tip
Perfect for natural make-up looks. Blend on your crease to emphasize it and your eyes.
It's easy to pile on  so you can achieve a more dramatic look.

Veridict
This is the only true brown that I have found so far. I will definitely repurchase if I run out.

Ellana Primer

This is the first ever primer I have had. I few years ago, primers weren't so common. I read/saw about them in the internet and I thought I had to have one because my face was so oily and no foundation was good enough for me. Of course, this was before I discovered Revlon Colorstay.

I thought primers were going to change everything but after having tried 5 different ones, I realized not all of them work. Honestly, I have yet to find an effective face primer that claim to control oiliness.

Oil Control/
Lasting power
I don't know what else to say other than... bad! This primer does nothing and absolutely nothing to control the oil production on my face. It does not even make my foundation last!

Coverage
This is a clear primer so it doesn't cover anything nor does it claim to.

Texture
It's a gel formula that gives the skin a satin-like feel when applied on the face. It's very easy to spread.

Packaging 
The cap and the pump, yes there is a pump, is made of plastic but the rest of the container is a glass bottle which makes it quite nice.

The verdict
Okay, there is one good thing about this product: it improves my skin. No, not just temporarily but permanently! After a few days of using this, my skin becomes softer and smoother. I guess it's because it's natural? For me, this is more of a skincare than a cosmetic make-up. Instead of throwing this out, I just use it when I stay home during the day.

This primer doesn't live up to its claims so I'm not going to repurchase nor do I recommend it. 

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Zalora Philippines Review

This is a short review on my experience with Zalora Philippines. Everyone probably knows what it is by now, with its very aggressive marketing strategies. You see it everywhere!

Anyway, this is just to express my disappointment with Zalora. It's actually not that big of a deal but I just thought to let you guys know. I have already ordered from them twice and none of my orders have been delivered on time. They always come a day late. They promised to deliver my orders the next day (after ordering) but my first order came a day late and today is the day that my recent order is supposed to be delivered. It's only 2pm and they still have 3 hours to deliver but I seriously doubt they'll make it. 

I am not being a diva. I don't mind if my order gets delivered after 3 days. Heck, I'm not even going to complain and whine if they deliver it after a month. As long as it is what they promise. But the thing here is that they promise to deliver the next day (not exactly the case all the time, it depends on the product).

Other than that, my experience with Zalora has been great. I just wish they had more products though and I wish their products don't go out of stock as fast. But then again, maybe that's a strategy to make us all go on impulsive buying!

UPDATE

My order finally arrived after 3 days. That makes it 2 days late. I have emailed Zalora about this and they apologized and blamed the technical maintenance or whatever it's called. I just wish they'll stop claiming to be able to deliver the next day. It's okay to say that the order will arrive after 3 days you know. 

Friday, September 14, 2012

theBalm Frat Boy


A favorite!
Color
theBalm Frat Boy blush is a coral pink blush. I think it's the perfect combination between the two. It's a little pink but it has the right amount of coral. I love this blush! It gives me a perfect "flushed" effect.

It says on the package that it is a blush/shadow but I'm not that daring when it comes to eyeshadows. I cant imagine wearing on my eyelids this shade of coral/pink! So I'd rather stick to using it as a blush.

it's more peachy in person
Pigmentation/Texture
This blush is quite pigmented. You have to be careful when putting this on because you can end up having too much blush.

As for the texture. I can't complain. It's really silky soft.

Lasting power
If I wear it during the day, I only have to reapply once and sometimes, I don't have to at all! So the lasting power, I would have to say is really good!

Packaging
The whole thing is made of hard cardboard. I bring mine on my everyday make-up kit and it still is in very good condition.

A little tip
Make sure to apply this light handedly to avoid looking like you put on way too much blush.

How much?
hmmmm. I forgot! I bought this is Singapore, and I think I got it for $30 so that's a little over Php1000. But it's totally worth it!        
There's way too much product.

The verdict
Love!

Becca Boudoir Skin

I was so excited when I got this powder from Becca. It is the most expensive makeup product that I will ever have purchase so far. I was thinking that it could be my holy grail of powder/foundation/oil control!

Oil Control
Oil control is my number one priority when it comes to foundations and powders. I have extremely oily skin so it is the first thing I asked the saleslady at the Becca counter in Adora. She said it is made especially for oily skin and humid weather conditions since the brand is from Australia and it's humid there too.

I was very disappointed with this powder though. It did nothing to control my oiliness. I tried wearing it alone and on top of foundation but still, it didn't make a difference. On a humid day, my face oils up as soon as 2 hours after application.

Coverage
I hate the fact that it does keep my face matte but I love the coverage. Even though it's powder, it still provides a good amount of coverage. I also love the finish. It doesn't look too powdery. It just evens out my skin tone and gives me a really nice looking skin,

One thing that the saleslady emphasized when I was looking at this product is that no matter how much of this powder you put on, it won't look like too much. You know what I mean? And it is true, I tried applying a lot of powder and it didn't look to heavy or thick.

Lasting power
Lasting power is not so good either. Because I get oily as soon as an hour(if it's really humid) after application, the product doesn't hold up well on my skin.

Texture
Because this is a high quality powder, it is very finely milled. It is very smooth when swiped.

A little tip
I like to apply it with a fluffy brush. But then again, you can't go wrong with this powder since it will look okay even after piling it on.

The verdict
As much as I would love to love this product because it is Becca and it is quite expensive, it has disappointed me. 

Sunday, September 2, 2012

First post! Everyday foundation: Revlon Colorstay

For my first post, I don't know what better to share with you than the makeup that I depend on every single day.

Oil Control
Okay... I have extremely oily skin. I believe I have the oiliest skin on earth! Seriously.. even Revlon Colorstay could not control my oiliness considering that a lot of people find it too drying. Even so, it is still the best foundation that I have ever tried. My face oils up the least with this and I couldn't be happier with the coverage.

I have two of this foundation. A darker shade in Early Tan and a lighter one in Natural Beige. I know now that I should have gotten Sand Beige. It appears lighter but it actually isn't. It's just yellow toned so it would have been perfect. I will definitely get that when I run out.

Top: Natural Beige
Bottom: Early Tan
I first bought the lighter shade but wasn't completely happy with it because I found it too pink. I think at that time I had a little tan but now that I (sadly) haven't been to the beach in a really long time it is perfect. But then again, Sand Beige is my perfect shade match.

I bought the darker shade in Changi airport in Singapore. Ladies, do not ever miss the Revlon counter in Changi, they have outrageously cheap Revlon products. I forgot exactly how much it cost but I swear to you it is significantly cheaper. 

Coverage
I love the coverage of this foundation too. I have freckles and my skin really needs a good amount of coverage. With this foundation, I look like I have really amazing, even-toned skin. It's really amazing! Plus, you don't have to layer on a lot to cover up blemishes and uneven skin tone!

Lasting power
The bottle says that it's 24hours and it is! I may haven't tried wearing this foundation for a full 24 hours but I bet you, it will last that long. The longest I have had this on is probably 16 hours. From morning till the wee hours in the morning. When I got home, it was still there.

It even helps make my blush stay on longer!

A little tip
I have tried many different ways to apply this foundation but have found that the best way to do so is...a sponge! Yep! It's back to the basics with this foundation.

I have tried using a stiff brush but it layered on too much product so I looked too made-up. The same goes for a duo-fiber stippling brush.

The verdict
This is my holy grail of foundations and I really couldn't ask for more.