ardell stuff and mac victorian lipstick alternative

Im trying to get back to blogging through the help of my "anonymous" friend. You'll get to see random messages on my cbox 'encouraging' me to update my blog.

Arigato, anonymous-san!
^_^
hehehe

I got these 2 weeks ago, i think...I did not buy these for myself, but bf did...even if im done with the Project pan, i said to myself that i will not be buying as much cosmetics since i don't get to use it that much. But bf insisted that i get something that i wanted as a reward for being a good girl.

Since i haven't bought anything from Ardell so i decided to get something from it.
On to my reward...
I got the Ardell Brow & Lash Growth Stimulator & 110 faux lashes.


I love the false lashes.
It compliments the shape of my eyes & really gives me that open-eyed, wide-awake look.
Ardell 110 lashes looks a lot like the Revlon faux lashes in Intensifying. It's such a relief since i wanted to be able to continue using this type of lashes, but i can't find something exactly the same as it. I'm glad i was able to find an alternative...

Now as for the Lash Growth, i'll just do another post for it after a month of using it.

I met a friend last week & went to Rustans since i am looking for a lipstick shade close to the crossover of Viva Glams Cyndi & Gaga.

Too bad that there isn't a shade that i can find that is close to that shade... i was able to take a look at the Spring Forecast Collection since it has MAC Victorian. It is a nice pink lipstick but it has shimmers & im horrible at them. I was surprised that it reminded me of the local lipstick that i have.

I took the pic without flash

You might not believe it but Fanny Serrano Moisturific Gold in Strawberry Sparkle is a great alternative for it. I'm using the word alternative compare to the word 'dupe' since everybody uses that word. I think every lipstick has their own characteristic & is not made to be exactly like one. That's why i used the word 'reminded' a while ago. Strawberry Sparkle is more shimmery than Victorian but the base color is almost the same.

I wasn't able to do justice on the color, but it really looks nice

You can take a look at the pics over at Temptalia's site if you want to get a better pic of MAC Victorian.

Well, there ya go
Hope you'll have a great day.

For those who observe holy week, may you have a blessed & peaceful holy days.

Jaa ne~!
^_~

~project 10 pan update~

Project 10 Pan all done!
Yatta!
(uh..not exactly, but im declaring it officially over!)

I started out the Project 10 pan last month, feb 3.

2 months have already passed & im almost done with it. I'm only having trouble with the Stila Solid Perfume since i use a different perfume every time i go out. So i haven't actually used it that much since it's summer & i prefer to use Benefit B-Spot for it compliments me better than other perfumes.

I made some past reviews or some of the products that i have here, i you want to back-read then just click the names.

Well then..i'll start it..

Etude House Cleansing Water - FINISHI thought that this is the last product that i'll be finishing on my list but im mistaken. I ind this product as a staple since this is a nice cleansing product that won't leave you with a heavy feeling. I have to buy myself another one!

The Face Shop Polish Remover - FINISH
I love this polish remover. Compare to the brands that i have tried this one really leaves my nail clean without drying it. You will know that the remover is drying your nails once you see a whitish mark on your nails. Although this product has acetone on it, but it doesn't dry my nails as it was with other brands.

Bench Pure Mist Facial Spray - FINISH
It's easy to finish this since it's summer & to battle the constant humid, i keep this in handy. It gives me skin that fresh-look without redoing everything.

Nivea Lip Care - FINISH
Woot woot!
Now i can finally say to myself that i was able to finish a lip product.


Nivea Q10 Eye Cream - FINISH

I stopped using this because i got lazy & began the habit again when i started project pan. I'm sticking to my initial review that this indeed work,if you religiously put it. This is a great and cheap product that work for me.



Neutrogena Fine Fairness UV Compact - HIT PAN
Love this too!
I think i have found my HG compact powder. This doesn't break me out, stays on & blends well. I perspire a lot & that's 1 o the reason why i don't use foundation. I look & feel muddy when i put foundation then perspire later. It does wear out because i frequently wipe my ace, but unlike other foundation that tends to sorta mix with your sweat (i know..it's gross!) this 1 really stays on your skin & will only be removed if you wipe frequently.
 
 I will be trying out liquid foundations, but this 1 is my favorite when it comes to compact powder...Now, i only Neutrogena got liquid foundations available here...

Clean & Clear Oil Film - 5 pcs pleft
I accidentally threw the packaging away, but i was able to finish it. This is also a staple for me. As what i said before, i always keep 3 of this. 1 on my work table, another on my wallet & another on my make-up case.

Elf Eyebrow Kit - HIT PAN


This little buddy has kept my brows looking fine & mighty. This had become a product-that-i-need since i have been going for a clean, no make-up look & brows is an important part of it. I think this is available here in the Philippines already. 


Placenta Cream - FINISH
This was included on my local obagi kit. I actually love this, but purchasing just this is not an option since this came from the set (which didn't work for me). What i like about this is that it's a heavy formula without that heavy feeling. The product actually looks like a dark rose& when i put it on, it can somewhat conceal my blemishes & give me that slight flushed look.


I tried buying other placenta creams available, but nothing beats this no-name cream. Too bad that i won't be able to grab this 1 product or myself..


Stila Jade Blossom - Utter Failure - 55% left T_T
I have finished more products during the time that i was on project pan so i feel that even if i can't finish the solid perfume it's not a big deal because i compensated for it by using other products as well. My Beneit B-Spot is already half-way done. Woot woot! I love it...I prefer it over my Britney Spears curious, which doesn't suit me at all..

I was able to finish/hit pan on:
-Eskinol DermaClear C (the big one)
-Elf concealer palette (the lightest shade)
-Kiss Xtreme Growth

With that said, i therefore declare the Project 10 pan a success!
I'll be doing a shopping spree with a friend later since i'm done with my project 10 pan. Whoopee!

Hope y'all have a great weekend!
^_~

ps:
Why is it that some posts on my dashboard doesn't have pics on them. I mean, like a picture icon. Before posts always have this picture icon next to the title, but now it doesn't have. Any idea why?

~thoughts on Viva Glams Gaga & Cyndi~

Sorry for the lack of posts,hunnies. I thank everybody who continuously support my blog even while im on hiatus. Arigato, mina-san.

I've had the MAC Viva Glams Gaga & Cyndi for quite sometime now & i think i can now share my thoughts on them. So yeah, for this pic, i used them (yep! them!)

Do i like them? Is it a must-buy product?
Read on...

The time that i heard that Lady Gaga is about to have her very own viva glam i got excited. I have been checking for swatches every now & then that in the end, i was caught up on the hype of it. I even asked Steph to get one for me. She's so nice to actually do me a favor.

Thank you,Steph. I really appreciate it.

I'm not a fan of Lustre finishes. The reason is that i have a pretty pigmented lips so the colors doesn't show up on me that much, especially nude colors. For light colors, it will leave me with a weird-looking lips so i pretty much prefer Amplified Cremes, Satins & Mattes that provide more pigments & won't matter if you have pigmented lips. For darker shades of lustres, i can rock it but i have to really swipe it a couple of times before i achieve the color that i want to.

One good point in using lustre finish is that it's build-able. If you want a very sheer look then just swipe it once...you can build the intensity of the color by swiping it again & again until you achieve the desired look. It won't give you that 'really wet' look, but instead a juicy-looking lips but still pigmented.

Whenever i use these, i have to use a lip concealer to make the pretty color on the tube appear on my lips. This is when the Etude House Lip Concealer comes in handy.

With that said, i find it quite tiresome to use 3 products on my lips each time i decide to wear it. This is especially for VG Gaga...Why 3?
First - it's a must to moisturize the lips first. Not just because i'm using a lip concealer, but it's a great way to keep your lips looking great. You don't want a dry-looking lips,ne?
Second - Lip concealer - i made a review of the Etude House lip concealer HERE.
Finally - the lipstick...

It sure sound a lot,huh?This is why i'm not that satisfied with it. While others are going crazy over how nice it looks, sadly, in my case it's not the same. This would really be good for those that don't have pigmented lips & can rock nude lustres alone.

Again, while most have provided swatches & lip shots, i think you won't be able to really see how 'nice' it looks like unless you see a full face pic. I'll not do the usual product shots since i know that there are a lot out there & im sure you're tired of them by now. So, i just decided to play a bit with my toys to take a pic.

Sorry, i did not bother to do a heavy coverage so you would see some blemishes since i only do make-up for my blog during the evening when i'm free.

I think my shade went a bit darker since lately i'm not able to wear sunscreens as much as before. So from NC20, i guess im now down to NC 25-30 (this is just a rough estimate), so that you would know how it would look like on a certain shade.

Let's start with the Viva Glam Gaga:

To show the true color of it, i have to use a lip concealer underneath. If i use it without concealer, it would go from a nice bubblegum-y pink to a light mauve-y pink. Personally,i can't rock this color alone....such a shame. It's such a pretty color on the tube. (-___-") I look horrible with this color on, seriously...I think it made my teeth yellow-er...accckkk!!!!

Would you believe that i took like 30 pics with Gaga on & everything looks horrible. I think this is the only pic that looks better than the rest, but mind you, i'm still not satisfied with it. It just dawned on me that no matter how many pics i took, Gaga won't be my best bud...*sigh*

Sugi, Viva Glam Cyndi:


Underneath a lip concealer, i don't need to build the color by swiping it over & over. I think i swiped it on my lips or like 3x to get this color. I like Cyndi better than Gaga obviously.

Surprisingly, when you mix Gaga & Cyndi, you'll get this pretty color:


A rose colored look that is perfect for daytime & even evening look. I actually like this color a lot. This is the color that i have on my 1st pic on this post. Do any of you know what MAC lipstick is close to this shade? I would love to be able to get myself one.

So, i might not rock Gaga alone, but when i pair it with other colors, it would give a nice subtle look to any dark color that i am going to pair it with. Cyndi is great by itself, but paired with Gaga, you can have an awesome color!

I'm not sure if this is a limited edition though...but if you are looking for a nice pink & red lipstick, this pair is worth checking out. Not only do you get to contribute in the MAC Aids Fund, but you get to have a cool-looking packaging since the box & the tube got their signature on.

Great packaging!
Next lemming - MAC Liberty of London ^_~

So, have you tried these 2?
What are your thoughts?

Until my next post..
Hope y'all have a great day!
I'm going back to watching Buzzer Beat.

Jaa ne!
^_~

my personalized earring & viva glams

It's already monday... *sigh*..the weekend went by so fast. :(

The package that i was talking about the last time is from Steph of Julu Jewelry. She's so nice because she custom-made an earring for me as per my request. I picked up the parcel last friday and was so excited that i opened it while i was still on public vehicle..hehe

I asked her to also get me the Gaga and Cyndi Viva Glams and she is just so sweet to actually do me a favor.
Thank you so much, Steph...I'm soooooo happy!
What more can i ask of  for a friend?!

These are the contents... Steph is so kind to include freebies, but i can't find the lipstick that she gave me...
TT_TT
I think i misplaced it..but i know i'll find it sooner.

Since i know that everyone had heard of the Viva Glams, so i'll skip the pics. But you know, i thought i'll like them but i think not that much. I mean they are nice, but im not that crazy about them. I actually rather like it when i combine the 2.

Now, on to the earring....

I asked her to make me 1 that i saw somewhere at a lady that i was in the train with. I caught a glance of her earring, but i wasn't able to ask her where she bought it because she was already about to go out of the train. So i described it to Steph and she made it.

I asked her to make me a simple stud, with the dangles at the back or on the clasp instead of the front. & i also asked her to make the other strands silver and the other gold. So that it would have a bit of an edge on it.

This is how it actually looked it when it is worn. It's simple & perfect for everyday earring. I think it's actually cute.... ^_^...BF says that this is his fave among my earring collection because of it's simple elegance. wow!

If you want your very own personalized earrings as well, you can asked Steph to do one for you!
I'm sure she'll be able to do it exactly as you asked her.

Thanks so much, Steph! I'm one happy lady indeed.
^_~

How was your weekend,ladies?
Did you had a great one?

Hope y'all have a great day!
Jaa ne~!
^_~

ps:
why is it that i notice that there's no pic on my dashboard. i mean, when my post is published, i can't see any icon or pic beside it. i have noticed this quite often...does anyone know what's wrong?
can you see a pic right beside my post on your dashboard?

~ekilove~

Just a quick post..i'm catching up on my posts since i decided to go back to blogging...
My long been awaiting package from Ekilove finally came! I was so worried that it's lost somewhere.
 

Look how cute she wrapped it. It's too pretty to open it! It's really made with love.

Eki is just soooooooo sweet including a lot of stuff... I can now try the Beauty Diary Mask..it's her favorite mask

I bought the Elegant Hime Earrings so I was surprised when i saw 2 boxes. I wasn't expecting it....Lookee!

The bracelet is really well-made because i can't see where the knot is. It's awesome!

As for the earrings...it's L-O-V-E!




It's so pretty! I like it sooooo much. It's all kawaii &sparkly... i think it's kira meki in japanese...im trying to improve my nihonggo.hehe

I really feel like a real hime when i wore it. I can't wait for the perfect ocassion to wear this. It's just sooooooooooo pretty. makes my heart flutter when i saw it.

Have to wear the shades so to cover like 1/3 of my face..lol..feels like i'll be murdering Ehi's creation if i take a pic without dolly-ing up first.
XD

Arigato Eki-chan, for taking the time to do & wrap everything with love. I can really feel the love pouring as soon as i opened the package. The line "made with love" is just perfect because it is really made with pure love!

Can't wait for her next batch of creations
^____^

That's all...
Hope you'll have a great day!

Jaa ne~!
^_~

~reason for blog hiatus~

Hi, guys!

Sorry for the long absence. I just have a couple of things that i need to do & 1 reason too is that lately, i don't feel like putting make-up on. When i actually did the project 10 pan, it didn't only made me curb my spending habits, but it sorta turned me off cosmetics. I don't know if this is good or bad though. Add the fact that i lost all of my pics when i reformatted my pc *sigh*...it feels like im back to zero :(

I already told Nikki about this & she even said that i ought to stop project pan..hehe...but i think it's too late. *sigh* I am even planning on letting most of my items go since they are unloved... especially the mac lippies... im really considering doing a major blog sale...im still not sure though.




I have a tendency to get over things that i obsess in when the time comes, like when i started to get into animes. I collected tons & tons of dvds & stuff concerning it..then all of a sudden i lost interest. Now, they're just sitting on a corner of our house accumulating dusts. Same with the painting stuff that i have, I went to a certain point where i was obsessed with art that i bought almost everything i can get my hands on..palettes, canvass, brushes, etc...but suddenly, in a snap of finger, my obsession was gone.

I'm just hoping that it won't be like that in terms of make-up. Though it's not a complete withdrawal, but im slowly losing interest. I don't check out online stores that much, i don't check out the cosmetic section of the department store, I don't even watch beauty-related videos anymore.... gaaahhhh!!!!! I need help!

Tasukete Kudasai!
TT_TT

Anyway, im still on the circle since i still have interest checking blogs, so im not a hopeless case..yet.

I'll try to get back on track. I have received packages & it's time for me to post it & also put up some reviews & nail arts. I have a notification that i received a little while ago, but im not that excited to get it yet, but im thinking that it's already the package from Steph with my Viva Glams on...im not sure but that's just what im expecting...except if it's the prize for some of the contests that i won.

One great thing that happened about my lost in cosmetics is that my acne is gone! Yay!
the only thing that im dealing with now are the blemishes that are left with my bout in acne.

Thank goodness for the tomato mask...it's a life-saver!
Even my friend said that it worked for her...awesome!

Now, im into dramas...
Can't get enough of Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge
@_@


Kamenashi Kazuya is to die for! I have watched the anime, actually my little bro likes it a lot but not the drama. I'm sure he'll like it as well.

Anyway, enough about all that...

Thank you to my followers. You're 1 of the reasons why i'm trying to get back on track. I have to do my best for everyone. I don't want to disappoint anyone. Every time i read comments from everyone saying that they think i did a great job, it makes me feel really appreciated. Love my old followers the best, new followers are cool too, but i really thank my old followers for still showing support even when im gone.

Arigato, mina-san
^_^

Here's to hoping that i'll be able to get on track...

See you all sometime.
Hope you'll have a great day!

Mata ne
^_~

~going on a blog hiatus~

Sorry for the lack of posts,hunnies.

I've been doing a lot of things lately & doesn't have that much time to blog. I barely have time to comment (-__-")..but i do read blogs...

I am always online since my job requires me to. I guess the heat is making me really lazy & the same time giving me a blogger's block. in fact i haven't opened my cosmetic case for like days now. I have the basic stuff that i have right here on my table like nude lipstick, powder & blush. i just hope that i'll be able to feel inspired again.

Plus just yesterday, i had to reformat my pc & i lost all my files...all the pics that i've taken for my upcoming reviews.. *sigh*

Ma.... im back to zero again.
It's ok though...I'll still try to do an update every now & then, especially my project 10 pan.

Hope i'll be able to get in track asap.

so re ja...
^_~

Hope y'all have a great day!