Sunday, January 29, 2012

Spotted: Klik Dotting Tool

Another short & quick spotted post.
Yesterday, i dropped by Landmark Trinoma & saw the new nail art products from Klik. They are definitely upping their products by introducing these at lower prices.

Anyway, this dotting tool set only costs Php 54.75 (less than a dollar)!


Cute,huh?


These are the ends of both, then the dot sizes that it can make at the bottom pic. Just click it to enlarge it.


They have hexagon glitters, flakies & also nail art brush set! Based on what i can remember the glitters are sold in 4 kinds for less than Php 50, the set of 4 flakies for a little more than the glitters & the brush set for Php 150 (i think?).

When you drop by at Landmark make sure you take a look at it. Dotting tool is one of the most versatile nail art tool. Wait for my how-to post about designs you can make using it.

Hope you all are enjoying your sunday!
Jaa ne~!
^_^

Friday, January 27, 2012

I'm a winner!

Just a short post.
I received a package today. Good thing i didn't went out because i planned to go out. LOL!

I won Mysweetfix's giveaway. Yay!


It was a heavy package!
Look at all the goodies!
^_^

The Beauty Angel palette is nice,no?


The blushes look great!

I was most excited about the Guerlain bronzer & lipstick!
Let me tell you, i'm not really a bronzer fan but this shade is something that i could love!


The lipstick looks great too!


I tried it on my lips & i can still feel it on. I have pigmented lips to start with so the color doesn't show that much. I think that this would be great for those who doesn't have pigmented lips.

I'm glad that i was able to have a chance of trying out other Guerlain products because the only one that i have tried is the Meteorites! Now i know that spending thousand of bucks for this brand is truly worth it! hahaha!

I am a winner indeed! Thanks,Hansley, for choosing me as your winner! Sorry for being so makulit ha. XD
Made my day really really happy!
Yatta~!


Hope you are enjoying your evening,hunnies!
Jaa ne~!
^_^

Thursday, January 26, 2012

my first franken polish:midnight fantasy

 I was able to successfully franken my own polish! Yay for my first try!
^_^

When i shook the bottle & saw the myriad of colors the name "Midnight Fantasy" just popped on my mind. I think the name really fits the color,don't you think so?


It's a multichrome holographic polish!


Kirei,de sho?
Beautiful,isn't it?

Here are some swatches.


It's hard to take pics of holographic polishes because my camera can't quite capture the awesomeness of the color play.


The base is a multichrome that has bronze, green, gold, pink & violet  that shows depending on the angle. Like right now, as i type it looks orangeish/pinkish when indoors! It makes my heart go doki doki with i happen to just glance at my nails.

The touch of holographic on it magnifies the myriad of shades that when hits by the light gives that amazing burst of colors!


You can take a look at the short video here to see how it is under the sunlight.


I'm glad that i was able to make a great polish with the materials that i have! I hope that i'll be able to make lots more gorgeous shades!

I will be making a follow-up of my nail art brush post the next time & how to grow strong nails.

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

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Lunar New Year nail decals + The New You~

Just a couple more days & it's going to be the start of another lunar new year~
I'm going to have a long weekend because my students won't be having a class this monday & tuesday! Yatta~

Anyway, continuing with the topic, KKCenterhk was kind enough to provide me with water decals that i could use for my nail arts.

I browsed their extensive list of products & saw this cute decal that would be perfect for my new year nail art! You can see it HERE.


Kawaii de sho?
Cute,huh?
I love water decals! You can have a beautiful & quick nail art just by sticking it on.

Since my nails are not long enough to put some intricate designs on so i just put it on top of China Glaze Gr8.


I just love holo polishes!
Who doesn't?!

Very easy but still very festive especially when the sun hits my nails... the play of colors is just simple breath-taking!

On to the other news, there's a new magazine in town called The New You.


THE NEW YOU MAGAZINE is a quarterly publication on personal reinvention. Their almost 200 page magazine has various sections on Wellness, Health and Beauty, including Plastic Surgery (invasive and non-invasive). They features clinics, spas, physical therapist, surgeons, dermatologist, and dentists who are involved in physical transformation.


Don't they all look so ravishing!
It's amazing how it's now possible to almost defy your age,ne?
Anyway, as what i said before, age is just a number! If i'll look half as beautiful as Eula Valdez when i reach her age then i would gladly wait for that time!

I'm actually a late bloomer & i'm sure you all know that i haven't tried a lot of aesthetic procedure. I'm not against it or anything. I would be trying them all in due time but for now i think this magazine would be a great source of information not just for those who have tried such procedures but for those who wanted to know more about it. I have to get myself a copy of this when i go to the bookstore nga.

You might wanna check out their site too for any additional info & notes. Click HERE to visit their page.

I hope that your weekend will be a relaxing one!
Have a happy day!
Jaa ne~!
^_^

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

brush guard dupe!!!!

We know that brushes are an investment. You can't have great works if you have crappy tools,right? You have to take care of your brushes just like how you take care of your make-up. How do you do that? Simple, buy a brush guard... or so the pros keep on saying.

I was browsing through Ebay one time looking for brush guards because i am getting irritated with the splayed bristles on my brushes. I placed a bid on an authentic variety pack brush guard when i saw a 1 meter cosmetic brush guard mesh for only $1. I immediately bought 3. I mean 1 meter for just a dollar... how cheap is that?!

Since it's cheap to start with i bought 3 & i think that it's a nice purchase.

Now, i'll just clear this from the start that i have the authentic brush guards in variety pack. So this would be a comparative review. A bit like a splurge or save post too..hehe


What i like about the variety pack is that it covers small to big brushes. I'm sure you have reviews about it already so i'll not bore you into details about it since this post is about the dupe.

In this picture you'll see the real brush guards compare to the 1 meter brush guard mesh protector that i am telling you.

See how different it looks from each other?
I'll give you my idea of how it works like but i'm not sure if i got it right,ok? This is just my opinion.

The real Brush Guard has several strands of nylon lined up perfectly then woven intricately. The ends were melted together to stop it from splaying & running out. The thickness of the nylon i guess helps it to "absorb" the water from the bristles then slides down to the tube for faster drying. That's most probably the logic behind it.


The brush guard has a specific size for different brushes. It doesn't mold to the shape of the brushes but retains its tubular shape when you use it... except of course when the brush has thick bristles.

Now on to the mesh protector...
Well, what do you expect...?
It's a mesh. It reminds me of fruits that are in a styro mesh to keep it protected.


It's a thin plastic mesh that molds to the shape of your brush to help retain its shape. Since this is made of plastic i don't think that it can easily absorb water from the bristles for faster drying but then this is thin enough to let the air pass by compare to the brush guard so i guess that it would somehow compensate for the material.

The ends of the brush guard are melted together, as what i said before, now the mesh protector doesn't need any melting at all because it has this hexagonal mesh that connects each other so you can just cut it freely without worrying over splayed fibers unlike the brush guard.

This is what i was saying about the shape. The mesh protector molds to the shape of your brush while the brush guard retains its tubular shape.


I'll let you know too that i don't actually like using brush guards when drying my brushes. 
Why? It takes a long time for it to dry. I prefer to just air-dry as is then i put the brush guard later. I hate it when my brushes has this weird scent because it took too long to dry. I know you know what i'm talking about so don't go telling me that maybe i didn't rinse my brushes really well because i do!

This most especially happens on kabukis because they have thick bristles. The middle part of the bristle begins to smell weird if you let the bristles dry clumped together. Actually whenever i air dry my brushes i see to it that i fluff the bristles out by spreading them around to let the air circulate on it to make sure that any moisture left on the base of the bristles would totally evaporate.

Anyway, this is just my opinion.
I prefer to use the brush guard for storage not for drying them out. So if you'll ask me if it functions like the brush guard when drying i can;t answer you because i haven't tried it & i won't try it because i really hate smelly brushes!


This is how it looks like when put on a brush.
It keeps the bristles all where they are supposed to be. As long as it does the function of keeping my brushes in shape i don't care whether it's the original or not.

Now one thing that i find maybe a bit disconcerting is the length of them.
Since the brush guard's length is already fixed per brush, on which it will definitely cover the ferrule & a big allowance at the end. I thought that it is somehow a waste that 1 guard is about 2/3 the size of the whole brush itself on which you only need it for the bristles,ne?

See this pic?


The frugal in me thought of cutting it in half so i could maximize my money's worth. haha!
But i think that it will just look ugly if i do that. Again, the brush guard's shape is like a tube. I think part of its functionality is it's length too. That means i can't go on splitting it in two. I might just regret it.

Now, as for the mesh protector, i can maximize it without any problems at all.
Why? It's because it molds to the shape of the brush. It can retain the shape of the brush from the ferrule up to the end so it will not matter if you cut it really short. The shorter you cut it the more protector you have for your brush since you are the one deciding how long/short you want it to be.

The only thing is the appearance. If you cut it short it would look weird. I mean how funny your brushes would look if you have something that covers it only up to the ferrule? it would be like seeing a man wearing a high-waist beach short! haha!


But since these are just my personal brushes i don't care if they look like so as long as the shape is ok then im fine with high-waist short. LOL!

Now my main issue about this is that it will be hard to use this for tiny eye make-up brushes like angled brush for one. The mesh protector could accommodate big brushes because it could stretch wide but it couldn't really mold into small brushes,wouldn't it? You can still use it though, it just wouldn't really snugly fit those small ones.

I bought this at Ebay HERE for just a little more than a dollar ($1.04 to be exact) with free worldwide shipping. See?! That is already amazing by itself,ne? $1 + free shipping!

PROS:
  • works great
  • really cheap!
  • 1 meter can cover a lot of brushes!
  • free worldwide shipping!
  • no need to worry of the ends running/splaying unlike the brush guard
CONS:
  • not locally available (but hey, they offer free shipping!)
  • would not really give a snug fit to small brushes, but it would still work though
With all of those said, what's my verdict?
Did i like it?
Yeah, it works great in keeping my brushes in tip top shape. It's also cheap & i get my money's worth, actually double my money's worth because if i'll compare it with the brush guards it can have 10 or more mesh protector with just a fraction of a price. The brush guards retail for more or less than $5 with just 6 pieces or so.

Will i recommend it?
Sure!
Again, i haven't tried it in drying my brushes because of the said reason but if you are looking for an affordable way to keep your brushes in shape then go ahead & get this. Your dollar is well-spent.

I won't mind buying again but since i have 3 of them i think i have enough to keep my brushes in shape for the time being.

Have you tried brush guards?
Will you still try this one then if you have the real brush guards?

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

ps:
i'm not connected to the seller. i just thought of making a post about this because it works ok & it will save you money. ^_~

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Etude House Apricot Sticks Review

First product review for this year.. albeit, a short review. hehe

I got this when i won Milk & Cookiie's giveaway.
I have been seeing this on Etude House because of the packaging though i have to say that i wasn't really interested to start with. But it's not that bad once you start using it.


The packaging is so cute,right?

It comes in a twist-able pen that reminds me a lot of my "crayola" jumbos! haha. The kid in me is still very much alive because whenever i pass by the school supplies section of the bookstore i would squeal with all the beautiful colors surrounding me. Actually i love the scent of new crayons... same with new books... new lunchboxes & everything new!

hahahaha!
That's why i'm always excited about the first days of school.

Moving on, the shades that i have are # 8 (red) & #2 (pink). I know that it has 8 shades in all. You'll see the shade on the sticker label on the cap so you might want to keep the sticker for future reference.

I won't call these as lipsticks because they seem more like a tinted lipbalm. It doesn't feel waxy which is good & it has a nice fruity scent.

I'll start first with the pink one... #2.
Here is how it looks like when swatched. It is a cute bubblegum pink!


Unfortunately, since my lips are pigmented the colors doesn't show that much but if you have pale lips then this would look great on you!


Then this is the red one.. #8
Here's how it looks like when swatched. Doesn't that look nice?


Now this is more like it!


It's pigmented enough to give my lips a nice flush of color with just one swipe!

I have to say that compare to the ordinary lip balm packaging, this would be bigger but the color selection for this line is better. I won't say that this is actually moisturizing because i have not really found a lip balm/butter that is actually moisturizing but this locks in moisture so you're sure that your lips won't chap/dry out once you use it. I would recommend this over ordinary colorless lip balms though.

Sadly, this one doesn't have sun protection but is still a nice product to try.

It's priced at Php 198 each & is available at Etude House.

PROS:
  • not waxy
  • smells nice
  • locks in moisture
  • you can easily tell the shade based on the packaging
  • locally available
  • different shades available
CONS:
  • no SPF
  • packaging is a bit bulky as opposed to the usual balms
Will i buy it?
Sure, I'll browse the selection of Etude House for this line to see what colors would look good for my pigmented lips.

Have you tried this?
What's your favorite tinted lip balms?

Hope you are enjoying your weekend!
Jaa ne~!
^_^

Friday, January 13, 2012

Lucky at 19!

Today is Friday the 13th & it's been said that it's an unlucky day. I don't think it's true though. Mine is ok & i'll make it better by sharing a good news to all of you.

HBC has just turned 19!
Yay! Happy Birthday, HBC!

To celebrate the special occasion they are having the Lucky at 19! promo.


I passed by HBC a while ago when i went out & they their items are on discount.

They are also having a Buy 1 Take 1 on selected San San and Allue products. An HBC anniversary gift awaits customers who can present 19 HBC receipts obtained during the SALE period.

For HBC Exclusives cardholders celebrating their birth month this January, we’re giving Gift Certificates for every P500 purchase of HBC brands. The SALE runs from January 6-31, 2012 and is open to both members and non-members.

Now's the time to grab your favorite HBC products now!
Do tell me your HBC picks,ladies.

Have a great evening!
Jaa ne~!
^_^

neutral look + Eshiko HD Powder

Hi,hunnies!

I wasn't able to blog that much the past couple of weeks because i've been too busy with lots of things. I know that this year i'll be very busy because i want to gradually do a career shift. I just hope that i won't be too busy to blog. I promise to find time for blogging.

Anyways, i have been practicing & practicing on make-up applications... especially for bridal looks. Something that is natural & will just enhance what the person has & not totally change their looks. I have to say that i am not really into neutrals because i prefer bright eye make-up. So working with neutrals is something that i want to be really good at.

How hard can it be to do neutral looks,right?
It's a very safe combination of earth colors & nothing could go wrong but i still want to make sure that i know how to work with the colors & what shade would suit a certain tone best.


My camera was in a good mood the time i made this & i was able to take good pics. I need to actually bring it to Samsung because there's something wrong with the lens of it when im zooming it in so i'll be without a camera once i had it repaired.

When i went to the mall the other day & asked Samsung they said that i can only have it repaired at SM Mall of Asia... great! that's an hour or two travel away from where i live!


I'm doubly glad that my brows are looking better...finally!
Brows has been my weakness before & i think im not doing bad,ne?
hehe

Have you heard of Eshiko?


I read reviews of it, looked at pictures & it seems good. I saw a deal at awesome.ph last week so i immediately bought one. I know i said that i am on a personal make-up ban but this is just too good to passed. It's been said to be better than Make-up Forever HD Powder, how could i let it go,ne?


Smallest in the world for a flawless finish,huh?
Just a quick idea about what they're claiming..
ESHIKO™ is a 100% hydrated silica refined at the smallest size possible, smaller than all the leading hydrated silica brands. We also infuse moisture to each hydrated silica nanospheres to prevent the number one problem among all leading hydrated silica brands – Dryness of the skin. Think of ESHIKO™ as a 100% hydrated silica with an upgrade, the best hydrated silica on the market today.
I'll let you know what i think about it after i've tried it. But you might want to check this site for a comparison between this & MUFE HD. If it works that good, i wouldn't mind paying $30 for it!

I do hope that this would be a good product. I said countless of times that i never did like putting on foundation. I hope that this is something that would really work for me!

I need to catch up on my reviews. They're piling up crazily!
Next review will be about the Etude House Apricot Sticks.

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

Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Guest Post: One-color Smokey Eye

Let's open up the year by presenting a guest post. I have mentioned last year that i am opening my blog for guest posting & i'm really proud to give you our first make-up guest post by a very dear blogger friend Chrissy.
Hi ladies!
It’s me, Chrissy from Cosmetic Fixation. I've been away from the blogging scene for a long time, but I'm back with a vengeance. I'd like to thank sis Thiamere again for letting me do a guest post on her blog. Today, I'll be discussing how to do a one-color smokey eye.

For a girl like me, sometimes using too many makeup products isn’t very ideal. Even though I do love playing with many different colors, when I’m not in the mood or when I’m in a hurry I limit my choices of makeup just to simplify things. But when it comes to eye makeup, sometimes a one-color wash can take the dimension out of the eye. This is why I was grateful to learn the technique of applying a smokey eye with one color because it gives you that sexy, sultry look without over complicating things.

This look can be done with absolutely any color or shade under the sun, but for the purposes of this tutorial I'll be using black. Doing a one-color smokey eye is actually rather easy--let me show you how!

You will need:
  • Eyeshadow primer (optional)
  • 1 eyeshadow shade of choice
  • 1 highlight shade
  • Flat shader brush
  • Blending brush
  • Eyeliner of choice

Prime your eyelids if you wish.


With your flat shader brush, pick up black eyeshadow. To avoid fall out, tap your brush onto the back of your hand until you get rid of excess shadow.


Start patting the eyeshadow onto the eyelid. Don't worry about being messy or applying it imperfectly--it doesn't matter at this stage. Deposit enough eyeshadow so you can blend it out later on.


With your blending blush, start blending the eyeshadow upwards and outwards (shown by the arrows) in quick light strokes. keep going until you are satisfied with your blending. Stop the black shade before it reaches your brow bone!
optional: if you wish, you can stick tape on the edge of your eye to make a straight line like in the picture below.



This is what you should have so far.
At this point, take your blending brush and blend your highlighter shade on your brow bone down to the eyeshadow below. Also highlight the inner corner of your eye.


Then with a pencil brush or your flat shader brush, apply black along the outer 3rd of your lower lash line, and highlight the inner 1/3.


If you don't like the sharp line from the tape, you can blend it out with your blender brush.


Apply your eyeliner and mascara. Since I was wearing a smokey eye, I put eyeliner on my waterline and mascara on my lower lashes too. And we're done!


I finished the look with bright pink lipstick and a peachy-pink blush, but you can finish it however you like because black smokey eyes are so versatile!


Thank you for reading my tutorial on how to do smokey eyes using only one color.  Don't forget to subscribe on my site for more makeup tutorials and product reviews! You can also find me on Facebook and Twitter.

Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Week 8 giveaway winners~

Thank you all for joining my Happy Beautiful Christmas giveaway!
We had tons of winners & i do hope that all of you are loving the HBC products that you won.

Now it's time to announce the winners of our Week 8 giveaway.
Thank you for all the wonderful pictures that you sent.

Winner 1: Analyn Alonsagay

The merry family gatherings which complete my Christmas! It is the spirit of togetherness in the cheer of Christmas that makes it so glorious, united, and bonded. ;)


Awwww.... look at that!
They even share the same shirt color. How heart warming!
^_^

This time, i choose winner 2 myself because i feel that everybody deserve to win & not leaving it to pure luck.

Winner 2: Crystal Lagman

A happy and beautiful Christmas for me is First of all thank God for the another year he's given us.greet our God a happy Birthday and celebrating with the whole family and relatives,exchanging and sharing gifts to my friends and neighbor. And the time for forgiving to the people whose been a little not so good this past few months. :) hayyy... sarap mamuhay kung walang kaaway. 



That's so true!

Please wait for the email confirmation,ladies.

So with that, we conclude our HBC Christmas giveaway.
Thank you all for joining & i hope that you will continue to support us for this year.

Happy new year everybody!
May your 2012 be fruitful & lucky for each & everyone!

Have a great evening!
jaa ne~!
^_^

Believe in B.liv's Dump Off Drawn! I do!

I was contacted by B.liv weeks ago to try out their products. I have been so lazy in applying any skin care products lately that I can alrea...