Weekend Nails: Halloween nails

It's halloween already!

I wasn't able to join the nail art contest for i have been busy for the past couple of days. I was only able to do my nails yesterday. This is what i came up with.

This is a random design for i want you to be able to have as much choice as you want in picking out the design that you want to do as your halloween look.

I am not able to do a tut for all of the design but just some of them. So i'll start with the pinkie.. the spider web.

Procedure: (i suggest that you use polish to make the colors really pop)

1. On an orange base color, apply white on the top half of the nail with 3 sharp edges like in pic 1.
2. Then trace the edges with black polish like in pic 2.
3. Make vertical lines like in pic 3 to connect the web.
4.  Then just fill the space with horizontal lines for it to look like a real web.

Next is the Ring finger design.. the pumpkins!

Procedure:

1. On an orange base color, trace 2 or 3 (depending on how long your nails are) circles on your nail.
2. Then fill it with black polish except for the circles. I did it this way because i want my pumpkins to have that bright orange color. If you apply orange on a black base, it may not look as bright though.
3. Then put the eyes & mouth on your pumpkins.
4. For my last touch, i decided to put a star design on the bare part of my nails. I topped it with glitter polish but i wasn't able to capture it.. gomen ne..

 The Middle finger has that party ghost look!

 Procedure:

1. On a white base color, add a small strip of orange polish on the side...either right or left.. whichever is easier for you.
2. Then draw a ghost face on the white side.
3. You can add any decoration to spice your ghost up... I decided to add a bit of real glitters at the top & 2 stars. It's ought to be a ribbon but i forgot where i put my ribbons yesterday. (-_-")
4. Then on the orange side, i drew green half circles at the sides then a strip of yellow polish where the white & orange polish meets.

I'll skip the pointer finger since it is easy.. just draw 2 equal circles to serve as the eyes & a bigger circle just below the eyes for the mouth.

Then the last one is the thumb... just a plain jack-o-lantern look.

Just draw the face of the jack-o-lantern just on the side. Then i put yellow stripes at the other side just to spice it up. I apply a single white strip of polish to cover up the unevenness of the yellow stripes...

There ya go!
This would be my nails for the halloween. If i would have the time i would go for the ring finger design. I think it is really pretty fun. But if i won't have the time then i'll probably just go for the pointer finger...hehehe

Anyways, hope that you are enjoying day!

Jaa ne~!
^_^

PS:
Don't forget to share your comments about limited edition products, ok? Click HERE for the link.

rants & ramblings:do you buy limited edition stuff?

As i venture further & further into the world of cosmetics i came upon lots of companies that releases collections that are only available for a certain time. MAC for one is 1 of the ultimate favorite of beauty mavens & is always releasing collections every now & then that girls go gagas for.

So humor me,girls, what is the hype about limited editions?
What is it about buying those limited editions that seems to be making the ladies restless & excited?

I don't have anything bad about limited edition stuff,ok? I'm just curious. What is it about them?

I only have very limited cosmetics. I have gotten rid/given away most of the cosmetics that i don't use anymore. It's true that the satisfaction of seeing your dresser/vanity table filled with cosmetics gives such a joy, but then it's impractical for me to fill my kit with stuff that i won't be using every now & then. I think i said before that when i did the project 10 pan, the lemmings & sporadic cosmetic-buying just went away as i go further in the task. It's like i realized how useless it is for me to keep on buying since i don't apply make-up everyday.

I love cosmetics, mind you. I won't start a beauty blog if i don't. It's just that the thought of owning a limited edition might bring a great satisfaction but if you come to love 1 product from a certain collection & there comes a time that it doesn't exists anymore, wouldn't that just bring frustration?

Would anyone please explain to me the satisfaction of buying it?
Am i missing out if i don't actually get into the hype?

How about you?
Do you own limited edition stuff?  Or if not, would you buy any? Why?

To make this a bit fun, i'll give away a new Etude House Proof 10 Eye Primer (which is always out of stock because it is dang good!) to a random commenter. Winner will be announced next week after the holiday...

Let me hear your thoughts,hunnies!

Move over UDPP! Etude House Proof 10 primer rocks my socks!

Seriously! I freakin' love this product!

I'm sure you are all familiar with Urban Decay Primer Potion, Too Faced Shadow Insurance, MAC Paint Pots, Bare Escentuals Prime Time, Guerlain Ombre Eclat Eye Shadow Primer, etc... they are good primers...will really make your eyeshadow vivid & crease-proof.. but one thing that they share is that they are quite expensive.

These products ranges from $16 to $35, on which i think is not that budget-friendly. But hey, considering the quality & the purpose of these products, they will still be well worth your money. But don't we all want a primer that is at least budget-friendly? Something on which you won't need to allot a certain part of your allowance/salary just to be able to purchase it. I know a big number of my followers are students & are budget-conscious... well, so am i!hehehe

I've already said before that UDPP, when sold here in the Philippines, is priced at $23. Based on my experience, if you use it everyday you expose the product to air therefore cutting the life span of it shorter. I remember watching a video before saying that UDPP can last up to a year provided that you keep the cap tight, making sure that it's not exposed to air as often you can. In my case UDPP lasted for 6-8 months...6 months on the original, cute-but-useless packaging & a month or so as soon as i depot it because once it is exposed to air it really dries up.

Hence if you are going to depot UDPP make sure that you put it in a glass container. Plastic pots/pens are not tightly sealed so it's not good in storing products that dries easily.

Now, going back to the main star... Etude House Proof 10 Eye Primer is the bomb! It is an awesome alternative to expensive primers for just a fraction of the price.

This is the description on the back of the carton if you want to take a look...

Then the ingredients...

Oops! Did you notice the life span?
It's only for 6 months?!
Well, no problem.. it's not that expensive to begin with & most often than not some products still have a bit of an allowance for the life span.

This is how the packaging looks like... It is in a plastic bottle with a wand applicator... But you don't need to worry about this drying because the cap seals tight for it has another layer that really locks it air-tight.

This goes on really invisible... I know you can still see the trace of it in the 2nd pic but if you actually spread it it will go on without any color at all so this is good for any skin tone.

I'll not swatch any eyeshadow color anymore with & without the primer for we know that we use primers to make the colors more vibrant aside from the fact that it will make it crease-proof. So let's jump in straight to the crease test...

I used Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Luminous Shadow in Plum Passion. I wanted to go for a darker color so to be able to really see the difference but i can't find any single dark shadow on my kit at that time so i just decided to use this shade.

So, i applied it at around 9am... I just did 1 eye & i never went out but it was extremely hot that i had to wash my face 2x... I just made sure that i did not wet the area where i applied the shadow.

As what i said.. this is after 2 face washing, so imagine how oily my skin gets that i have to wash it twice.. i'm like an oil mine! How much more my lids! But still the shadow looks great! It's almost the same with how i applied.

Then time to work...
*classes*

Skin getting oily again.. but since i am already in my classes so i just use Witch Hazel toner to get rid of the oiliness for the meantime.

I completely forgot that i had an eyeshadow on, if not for my little brother saying that i look like a freak did i realize that i still have the shadow so i immediately took a pic before i smear my shadow all over...

So at around 10 pm, this is how it looked like.. The flash may have washed the color out, but there was a creasing but it's not really bad considering that as what i said, i have a very, ultra oily skin.If you can see my crease, that's just it. It didn't clump the shadows together but it just made a line.

But i'm already happy with it because as what i said before even UDPP crease on me on extremely hot weather. There was even a time when my shadows look like a mess for just a mere 3 hours with UDPP on. That's how oily my lids are!

I guess this also has it's drawback. Since this is in a curvy bottle with a wand applicator, getting to the last 'drop' of it is impossible too. You may need to depot it too to get the most of it. If that time comes then just take the scraper out so that you would still be able to get the product out without having to depot it.

Now what makes this a keeper for me is that it doesn't make your lids feel rubbery, unlike UDPP. I remember when i used UDPP it has this heavy, rubber-like feeling (on which i gather makes the shadow more vibrant & makes them stick to the skin) which is a bit 'uncomfy-in-a-small-way-but-doesn't-mind'. Too Faced Shadow Insurance's packaging is good, i have tried it but it still has that rubber-like feeling, thought not as bad as UDPP.

This goes on smooth. Actually this dries a bit slow so you would really have the time to spread it evenly on your skin unlike other primers that dries fast as soon as air hits them.

I'm so happy that this is such a great product & will definitely be a staple in my kit. This is pretty cheap for it's only Php 298, if im not mistaken... but what i'm sure of is that it is less than Php300 (less than $7).

\(^_^)/
w00t w00t!

So, let's summarize it:
PROS:

• cheap
• locally available
• dries invisible
• works great
• doesn't give you that rubbery feeling
• doesn't dry fast so you will have plenty of time to work this on your lids evenly

CONS:

• same packaging with UDPP... depot, depot, depot
• product span is only for 6 months upon opening

Will i repurchase?
OF COURSE, I WILL!
I don't give a dang about the 6 months span... it's the quality that counts. I don't have to buy internationally just to be able to get a good primer.. this is locally available. Yatta!
 
This is the only Etude House product that wow-ed me! Others are just ok with.. i like them, but this is the only one that totally blew me away!

Give this a try!
You might like it too... After all, it's less than $7... how's that compare to $23 that you pay for UDPP (pricing is based on Philippine standard).

Hope you all are having a great day!
Jaa~!
^_~

Food Spots: Seoul Garden

Thank you for all those who greeted me last Saturday! Hontoni Arigato, minna san!
^_^

I celebrated my 26th birthday & though it was quite tiring for i was the one who personally cooked the dishes for our small house party with close relatives, it was quite a fun day. Since i was so busy that day, i forgot to take pics of the dishes that i made...

Oh well, im sure there would be lots of time to do posts about home-cooked meals. Walter was so busy last Saturday with work & he wasn't able to come so we just ate out yesterday & had fun together. We decided to eat in Seoul Garden. I like it for it's a buffet restaurant & you get to cook your own food....grilled & hot pot!

We wait a while to be seated for we want a seat that is easily accessible to the buffet table since we would be going back & forth to take a pick of the foods available.

I'm sorry for the blurry pic, but there's a note at the counter as to the cooking time for the foods...

The tables are actually quite low compare to the usual tables in the restaurant & they have a stove top at the middle that has a griller on which you grill your choice of meat at the sides & a small stainless pot can be put in the middle for the hot pot.

Compare to Healthy Shabu-Shabu (another favorite) where you get individual pot, this one would require you to share it with everybody. So make sure that you ask first what is the soup base preference of the people you are with... Oh, did you see the plate? It's small,ne? hehehe.. but it doesn't matter

When you are escorted to your seat, you will be asked what soup base would you want for your hot pot. I've loved Kimchi Jigae ever since so naturally i chose it.

With that done... It's time to head on over to the buffet area to take a pick of the foods... Oh! Did i forgot to tell you that you have to do the cooking yourself?... I think i did... did i?

But what makes Walter & I go back to this restaurant over & over is the fact that you get to cook your own food. So the buffet area will be consists of raw meat/vegetables. Then you pick out what you fancy! Although the meat are already pre-seasoned, the novelty of cooking your own food & you can eat it piping hot makes this one of our favorite restaurants...

Here is the pic of the meat selections that they have... chicken, beef & pork seasoned in Teriyaki, Bulgogi, Curry flavors, etc... I wasn't able to take a pic of everything though...

Seafood galore!

Shoot! I wasn't able to take a pic of the whole buffet area so some are not seen here but the Teriyaki Squid is delicious! Bf had to keep going back & forth to get some since that is all he ever cooks..LOL

Vegetables...

See that Enoki Mushroom at the far left side? I'm so happy that they have it this time that i filled my plate with it! hahaha! I love Enokitake! When i went back for more, They don't have it anymore... boo hoo!

More Veggies...

Then those black pots at the bottom are actually kimchis! They have the cabbage, cucumber & radish kimchi.. Yum!

After taking our pick of veggies & meat, we went back to our table to start cooking. Kimchi Jigae already warming on the pot together with other condiments as well...

We started grilling the meat/fishes & dumped in the veggies in the hotpot. Oh, those light colored fillets are teriyaki squid.. Our favorite of the day!

Itadakimasu!
*chomp*
*chomp*

Love the soup base for it is spicy but not to the point of you getting all red because of the spiciness. If you want it spicier then feel free to add in kimchi.

The diners are enjoying their meal as well & you'll really get to see everybody occupied because of what they are cooking.

A meal would never be complete without dessert.. or so with Walter since he has a very sweet tooth!

There's a part in the buffet area with sweet beans & the likes together with other fruits for those preferred these kids of sweet.. but Walter likes Ice Cream so i went to get him some...

The ice cream flavors there were Rocky Road, Cookies & Cream, Chocolate, Melon, Ube & Avocado. I decided to try out the avocado & ube ice cream..

& I also decided to grab those mini cupcakes with a little chips on the side...

The Avocado ice cream is really good! It's creamy with that mild avocado taste & is not overly sweet hence Walter ate like 6 scoops of it! hehehe

The staff in the restaurant are soooooooo nice! They are so polite & they always have a smile for you.

As for the price...

I think the price is not bad considering that you get to have a really big selection of foods from appetizer to dessert!

I think that the one in SM North Edsa (Annex) is their first here in the Philippines. Based on my research, it originated in Singapore & has a couple of other restos in other Asian countries...

This is definitely not the last time that we will be going there.. we have gone there for like 3 times already & we love going back for some times they offer different dishes & other selections, i guess based on what stocks they have... it's a great place for hearty eaters!

It's obvious how happy & full we are in this pic,ne?

There ya go... That's how my weekend went... everything is ok...except for the rain/storm for it ruined my happy day since my internet went berserk & acted like a biotch! I wasn't able to have my class because of it...
T_T

Hope y'all have a great start for you week,hunnies!

Jaa~!
^_~

~fun weekend for me~

Whoopee!

My dear friend, Eileen-san, just returned from her year stay in Japan & we decided to meet up last Saturday & did a girl bonding. When she asked me what i wanted as a souvenir from Japan, i immediately said green tea & Kit Kat! Waaahhhhh!!!! She's so nice because she got me the Custard Pudding Kit Kat, a bag of chocolate & Maxim lattes!

I remember reading the Maxim Lattes in Eki's blog & i never expected that Eileen would actually get me the Maxim lattes. I have the Matcha Latte & the Strawberry Latte!

Arigato, Eileen-san! Totemo Ureshii! ~^_^~

I waited for her at Starbucks & decided to order Cinnamon roll together with my Mocha Lite Frappuccino. I don't frequent Starbucks because im not a coffee-lover but i guess it doesn't to have some once in a while.

I'm not really a fan of Cinnamon Rolls because i hate dates that's why i can't figure why i decided to get it. I guess it's because of how yummy it looks... but i like their cinnamon roll for it doesn't have any dates & it's not dry unlike some cinnamon rolls that i have eaten.

Afterward we decided to do some strolling & ended up in the department store. They are on sale but since i don't see any needs to buy more cosmetics so i wasn't really interested but i just decided to get a couple of things especially the compressed face mask since i am planning to do the tomato mask again since my acne is flaring up again.

Oh & by the way, Eileen can also attest that tomato mask really works. I remember her telling me before that she suffered from acne when she was in Japan because of the weather so i recommended it. When i saw her last Saturday i was 'vexed' with her because she looks so flawless! Gyahhh!!!!! LOL

Then i saw that there is a new brand of cosmetics called Ianti. I'm not sure if it's an asian brand though because i wasn't able to ask info from the SA's at that time but i remember asking for their lipsticks which are only priced for Php 399 (i think). I decided to just buy 1 polish from them... this certain shade of blue.


We spent some time talking about lots of things that we didn't even notice the time. Time sure flies when you're having fun,ne?

I have been lagging again in my posts.. product pictures are already accumulating but it seems like i am suffering from 'blogger's block' once more because i can't seem to put my thoughts into words.
*sigh*
I hate it when this happens....
T_T

I cut my nails short last week when i went swimming for i don't want to risk it breaking if ever so it's better to just cut it.... so there won't be any weekend nails for quite sometime. I have to wait until it grows a bit so in a way im also letting my nails take a break from polishes for i hate it when my nails turn yellow from too much polishing.

I might make some post about the goodies that i got from Eileen if i still can't do a post for the products that i wanted to make.

Well, there goes my weekend..
How about yours?
^_~

Jaa~!

allthatjuicystar07's store~

 Draft blogger has gone bananas again & i can't put the link straight to where i want them to...

-__-"

Sis Iyah, one of the friends that i have met through blogging, has just launched her new online store.

She is selling a foot spa set & also a liquid powder. Every girl needs to pamper herself from head to toes,right?

Feel free to drop by on her site if you are interested. She is really a very nice & warm person to exchange messages with...really!

^_~

Eyebrow Kit: Etude House vs ELF

Fixing my eyebrow is an essential part of my make-up.I have only tried 2 eyebrow kits & i think that it would be nice to make a comparison between the two.

So today it will be a showdown between the Etude House Eyebrow Kit & ELF Eyebrow Kit.

I purchased Etude House Eyebrow Kit on a whim even though i still have the ELF one & im satisfied with it. I originally wanted a pencil eyebrow because i find it more convenient compare to the kit. I asked the SA if they have the same color with the 1 in the ELF kit, but he gave me the kit.

So i hesitantly took it...i was actually still debating if i'll buy it since i haven't finished the ELF one, but he said "Ay naku,ma'am, wag ka na magdalawang isip dyan kasi maganda talaga yan" (Ma'am, don't hesitate, because it is a good product). For some reason, i felt embarrassed about it so i just decided to buy it... Let's see if it really is a good product.

Let's compare the packaging & brushes first before the formula.

This is how the Etude House kit looks like.

It has 2 brushes with synthetic bristles that are too thin to be able to grip it. Or maybe my fingers are just too fat & this is designed only for those anorexic people that can easily grip small things?!

I think the brushes are not good because it's too thin! The angled brush would be good for gel lining but not in brow filling because you would want a brush that it's a bit dense to hold the powder/wax so that you won't have to continue dipping it over & over. The other brush with the round bristles are too thin to be able to grab the product.. Hate it! I can't seem to understand what is the use of that freakin' brush!

I have to say that it does have a lot of product in it because the pan is deeper than the ELF one. Major drawback is that it doesn't even have a mirror so packaging is not good for me. What if i'm in a hurry & have no time to dig into my duffel bag for a separate mirror?

Then this is the ELF eyebrow kit in Dark & it has a double-ended brush with  slanted bristles at the other end & also a tapered bristles at the other. I have only been using the wax & not the brow powder though.

Even though the brush is small, at least it's thick enough to be able to grip it way better the EH one. The bristles are packed densely so to be able to pick the product & deposit it on the areas that you would need to. Plus factor is that it has a mirror so it's good for touch ups!

This is the swatch of the wax from both kits. Now let's talk about the product itself...

The one on the right is the powder while the left is the wax. If you notice, it looks almost the same.

No big difference at all, but then one thing that makes the ELF kit stands out compare to the Etude House is that the ELF is buildable. You can go from a sheer brown to a darker brown by applying more wax (just the wax only), whereas i notice that in the Etude House one, the texture is too waxy that you have to use the powder instead if you wanted a more prominent brows. I don't know about how others use their eyebrow kit, but personally i don't like applying powder to finish it off.

I'd rather use the wax for i find it easier to blend. I find that if you set it with a powder, my brows look too strong already. I just want to define my brows not really call attention to it. So i only have to use the wax & i prefer waxes that are pigmented enough to be used alone.

brow Powder are used to just fill in the brow area for that 'natural' look, but since i perspire a lot so i just don't see the need of using the brow powder alone. But then i still use the powder, not for my brows but i use it on my lower eye area when i do the Gyaru look. So the eyebrow kit is really a must for my kit!

Now, I know that here in the Philippines, ELF Studio doesn't have the dark shade, mostly i only see the light shade. I haven't really tried it, but even if the dark shade is not available here, i'd still go for the ELF one because i rather like the staying power. The ELF kit stays for a long time while the Etude House, with its not-so-pigmented shade, will be gone for a mere 1 hour on me. I so regret buying this! (-__-")

There are just some times when the price doesn't really show how good a product is.. ELF is cheaper than Etude House but the staying power & pigmentation is what i would have expected for the price that i paid for in the Etude House kit.

I know i have been saying that the other is more expensive but i can't remember the price. I bought the ELF kit for $3 (i bought it online straight from US), while i know that the eyebrow kit is priced for more or less than Php400 (more or less $9).

I'll definitely buy ELF over & over again compare to Etude House. Anyway, i have said before that i am not really a fan of Etude House, but i still shop there because the store is so cute. Now, i'm not saying the products are not good, ok? I know that there are a lot of EH products that are good, but most of the items that i've tried are just mediocre. Not something that would actually WOW! me... But that won't stop me from buying again & again...

Let's do a summary:
                                        ETUDE HOUSE                                               ELF
mirror                                    none                                                         yes
brushes         2 brushes that doesn't work for me              short but does the job
sleek                                        yes                                                         yes
staying power        almost non-existent for me                          stays long
price                           Php 400 (more or less)                                  $3
pigmentation                         bad                                                     good

As what i said, i regret buying the Etude House kit... Hontoni daikirai! I really hate it! Well,  it's my fault for buying it impulsively anyway...so i can only blame myself with that.

Now, i would be buying the ELF kit again & again... it seems to work for me & i can't find any reason not buy it.

What's your favorite eyebrow kit?
Care to share?

Have  great day, y'all!
Jaa~
^_^

Weekend Nails:Funky Black & White Nails

It's already Friday...weekend again!
How fast time flies!

It's already October. I'll be turning a year older again. It seems like a couple of years ago, i just graduated high school. Now i'll be 26... Next thing i know im already 45! hehehe

I don this look weeks ago but just wasn't able to post it & it seems like it's high time that i post it before this lie unforgotten in my draft.Sorry if it looks messy, for i took this pic while this is wet & haven't cleaned the edges yet. Plus my hands were getting a bit shaky lately... but let's just focus on the design & not the mess, ok?

I want to spice things out by making a very funky nail art. I haven't shopped for nail polishes so i have a very few choices of nail polish colors. But since i want it funky so i'll just go for my favorite black & white combination.

What's fun in doing this nail design is that it doesn't have a rule at all. This is pure wildness & randomness. The only thing you'll be needing would be a dotting tool, brush with thin bristle, & your inner funky-ness.

Armed with that, let's get to the pictures... Yes, it's just pictures because i don't really want to call it tutorial because this look doesn't have a "rule". Actually, as i was doing this, i forgot to take pictures because i just go along as i designed it.

It's more of a random free-style type of nail art. This is the first time that i did a rather outrageous but funky nail design & i receive a lot of compliments when i did this. I was at the bus when the bus conductor actually held my hand (thankfully the conductor is a lady) & asked me if it was stickers. I told her that i made it using nail polish & she said that it looked nice.

Although it is actually pretty messy for i did this is the evening & i did not notice that i fell asleep before it completely dries.

Whenever i do nail arts, i try to use a lighter color as my base (aside from the base coat,of course) because using dark colors makes the nails yellow-er. I personally hate it when my nails turn yellow that's why i remove my nail polish by monday or tuesday at the most for i want my nails to at least have a break before i do another nail design.

So, here, the base color of this design is white...

Then i drew all the details using a pointed artist's brush... plus a dotting tool in making the design. As you see here, i dip the tip of the brush on a black nail polish so that i could make a pattern for my nails...

like so... I left the pointer & little finger bare because i plan to put black stripes on them while the other 3 fingers would have different designs...

See the stripes? it's not a uniform stripe since this nail art is funky so i put more on the little finger compare to the pointer finger.

I'm sorry girls, if i wasn't able to take a pic of how i did the other fingers as i just did it as i go along. Pressing the shutter was far from my mind as i was busy designing my nails but with the pattern that i did at the top, it will just guide you on how i did this.

Like i filled the others with black while putting black dots too. The main point of this design is to be random but at the same time to show the contrast between the 2 strong colors.

A little note, once you drew the pattern on your nails that's the time that you decide what nails you should fill with black polish. Fill the part where you think you did a messy line. Like in my case take a closer look at the thumb.. you'll see that i didn't really do a good job in lining it but i manage to 'fix' it by filling it out with black polish to cover up the poor job that i did.

You only need to let your imaginations work & think out of the box.
Hope y'all like this!

Jaa~!