ERIM Express : Finally a Reliable Courier Service in Cavite

TEASER : NYX Released 24 New Round Lipstick Shades!

A makeup hag cant ever have too much makeup in her stash. Agree? 

Having said that, NYX Cosmetics and The Digital Traincase couldnt help but make you want more lippies to add in your collection. 

NYX Round Lipsticks currently have 144 shades available,

BUT theyre giving us 24 shades more! 

♥♥♥

Understanding MultiTone Correcting Concealers

Most women use the single colour stick or liquid concealer and this is fine for everyday covering of dark shadows. 

However many women use a concealer shade that is too light when trying to reduce under eye circles. - This results in a 'Racoon Eye Effect' which only makes the dark circles look worse. The single colour can also make the face look flat and one dimensional.

For that special occasion or to correct specific blemishes and colour problems a multi-tonal professional concealer. 

If used correctly, can achieve amazing results.

The appearance of age spots, birthmarks, blotchiness, broken capillaries, eye-area darkness, eyelid darkness, freckles, and scars can all be diminished by using such a product.

Few Steps To Gorgeous Lashes

Its undeniable that I love beauty stuff, and a lot of beauty hags like me loves going to the salon, or the spa or wherever to get beauty procedures done, well im different, I love DIY stuff and one of those is "installing" my own falsies. 

I used to be a fan of Lash Extensions but after realizing that its the culprit of my massive lash-fall and that it was too high-maintenance, I stopped having my lashes done at lash salons. 

From then on, I explored the beauty (and the ease of application) of false eyelashes, I started buying cheapie ones (those Php20.00 wonders from the beauty racks of Landmark haha!) so I could practice putting it on. 

From there, I started exploring other brands and came across Ardell, I figured that falsies with invisible bands look more natural and they have a wide variety of false lashes to suit your liking. 

I always follow the NOT TOO LONG & NOT TOO LUSH rule in choosing falsies that would look good on me. Im glad that Ardell has a wide array of falsies that look good on me. Here are a few samples of the lashes that they have : 

Summer Solstice Bazaar (June 3-5, 2011)

The Mommy Diaries Expo (May 28-29, 2011)

STiLA All Over Shimmer

I remember wanting to have all variants of this Luminizer back when I was still not addicted to makeups.  I even bookmarked the link to this item from Sephora back then. But when I started to grow my makeup stash, I have no idea why I never bought these, not until I came across these luminizers on eBay Philippines (again!)

It was just a few months ago when I decided to get me two variants of this product. 

STiLA One-Step Makeup Foundation

I was just browsing eBay Philippines when I saw a listing for this product, I got curious because Im kinda lazy to do my makeup lately thats why upon reading that this product is multi-purpose, I immediately bought it. Not to mention the cheapie price tag too which wouldnt hurt my pocket at all. 

This product is the solution for those who doesnt wanna wear or doesnt like the heavy feel of foundies with the kind of weather we have now in the Philippines.

With temperatures that reach 35C who would want to wear makeup that would just add up to the discomfort of the scorching heat? 

Resurrecting My "Dead" Gel Liners

I never thought Id reach this far that Id have to think of means how to revive my Gel Liners because I always thought I could buy replacements just in case they dry out. 

Hun and I went out for lunch yesterday, and as I was doing my makeup, I suddenly thought of using my Stila Little Black Dress Smudgepot (from the Barbie Loves Stila Collex), at first glance, it looks like your typical black gel liner, but as you dig thru the pot, youd realize theres a little surprise of pink shimmer hidden in the thick, black cream liner base. 

I was so giddy to dig my brush to it since I cant remember when was the last time I used it, but to my dismay, my brush didnt sink into the creamy liner, I was horrified to see that it was hard as moist chalk. 

So while we were roaming around SM Mall of Asia, I kept on bugging Hun about my "dead" gel liner, in his attempt of trying to console me (hahaha!), he said, why not try putting sterile water or eye drops to moisten it. And it sounded like a great idea, this morning, I googled on how to revive dried-out gel liners and was happy to come across the first blog that used eye drops (brilliant idea, Hun!). 

So i tried "reviving" some of my gel liners this afternoon.. :) 

A Partial Run-Down on My Blush Stash

Its a lazy, rainy, Sunday Afternoon. 

After a whole day of scorching heat, rain finally poured down.  

I was bored and got nothing to do so I decided to do reorganize my blush stash, do a little purging of items that im willing to let go of and take pictures at the same time so I can share it here. 

Here's me doing a little blush porn haha! 

(this post covers not just blushes but bronzers, highlighters and other glow/complexion enhancers as well) 

MILANI Baked Blush in Corallina

If you wanna save your wallet from unplanned and unnecessary purchases, I suggest you stay away from GirlTalk (a forum on beauty stuff and what-nots) Bwahahaha! 

As usual, I admit of having the skill in convincing others to purchase nice stuff ive tried, but on the other hand I am also easily swayed by nice reviews on beauty stuff made by fellow bloggers.

I broke out from the Milani Blushes that ive tried before (the ones from the regular line), but that didnt prevent me from wanting to try the highly-raved Baked Blushes that Milani recently launched. Ive always been curious to try drugstore makeup that makes dupes for expensive brands, these baked blushes I suppose are dupes for MAC Mineralize Blushes. 

So the curious cosmetic hag in me got Luminoso (who's with mom already) and Corallina which im gonna review and do a comparison in a bit.  

Here's how the Baked Blushes look like 

Milani website says : 

Its a luxurious powder blush that features a mélange infusion of colors baked on Italian terracotta tiles. Easy to use, sensorial in texture, the nuances of color become extraordinarily luminous. Silky smooth application leaves your face looking healthy and radiant all day.

SUNSILK Damage Repair Reconstruction Serum

Yay! to the first ever Hair Product that Im going to review. 

Bath and Body Works Pocketbac Haul

I couldnt resist the cuteness of these Bath and Body Works Pocketbacs, I even blogged about my lemming for the Jellybean Edition Pocketbacs. 

So yesterday, after receiving my Sephora Loot from Sis Ali, I decided to get more Pocketbacs hoping that these fruity scents wont disappoint (coz I love sis Ali's Fresh Picked Strawberry freebie!) unlike how turned off i was after trying the Strawberry Cupcake variant.

This time I just got one piece of each scent to try them out first. 

Sheer and Sparkly H&M Glosses

 Im such a hag for sheer, sparkly and yummy-scented Lip Stuff, thats why Ive always been a sucker for lipglosses, i love how they give my lips a nice sheen plus a bit of sparkle to brighten my puckers. 

A fellow make-up addict, and a good friend (KikayMD *thanks bakla!*) recently had a trip to HongKong, she got me glosses from H&M as pasalubongs together with the Canmake blush I reviewed a few weeks back.

These glosses became an instant favorite, wanna know why? 

Read on.. (^_^)

Yet 'Nother Haul Post.. :)

Woke up seeing a little bag of goodies on my bedside, I was actually anticipating the package since Sis Ali said she sent my loot yesterday. :) 

Sis Ali was super nice to get these babies for me from her recent trip to the U.S

(thanks so much sis Ali, you made my week (yes not just today) complete heehee!) 

I got just 3 glosses because i have yet to test them first if theyre any good, if they pass my non-sticky test, then ill prolly purchase more. 

** Sorry the first 2 photos are not as clear as the others, my camera's lens still has some condensation  when i took the pics**

i got Prisma glosses in 3 shades 

Burger -- a sheer tangerine color 

Sandy -- a sheer lime green color 

Rondine Love -- a sheer hot pink color (sis Ali chose this for me and I love it!) 

Kitschy Kawaii Gadget Danglers

Warning : Kiddie stuff ahead. 

Nyahahaha! 

I love HongKong for cheapie fashionable stuff, branded makeups and all those cheap thrills we can find there.

The Kiddo in me wants to fly back to HongKong soon just to get my hands on more of these... 

♥♥♥ Blush Haul♥♥♥

This package arrived sometime lastweek, Ive been anticipating these babies since about a month ago coz I asked Sis Caren of La Petite Confiserie to get them for me. 

I was supposed to do this haul post right after I received the package but didnt have time to do so since I had to prep myself for our 6:00pm flight that day. 

So there, Im gonna keep this short, so here are the photos of what I got from one of my favorite online cosmetic stores.. ^_^

Soap & Glory Solar Powder

I confessed my love for Soap & Glory Stuff a number of times in my previous entries, and Ive had my Solar Powder for about a couple of years already and Its just recently that I rediscovered how great of a product it really is. 

Bronzers are not just created to give a tan minus having to stay under the sun. There are a number of kinds of bronzers out there to serve different purposes, some may be used as blushes, some may be used to create a fake tan, while some can be used for contouring. 

So here's me, sharing my HG Bronze & Highlight Duo. :) 

Havaianas Always Have The Perfect Pair

My mom makes fun of me whenever someone asks me if I have a collection of some sort. 

Okay, I have a little confession to make, whatever I find cute, I collect. Im a clutterbug. Im not proud, just being brutally honest. :D haha! 

Few years ago even before the Havaianas hype started, I was already starting to build my collection of Havaianas flip-flops, I find them comfy and worth the money since a pair would really last you long. 

To date, i own 124 pairs of Havaianas, yes, youve read that right, 124. I dont have each and every design they released but I made sure I got all the designs I wanted, I always thought I could stop at 60 something pairs before but since Havaianas kept on releasing new designs, I couldnt also stop myself from buying more. 

Now while browsing my blogroll, I found someone who posted an entry that Havaianas Phils gifted her a Pair of the new Havaianas Slim Dolls Edition Flipflop in Matryoshka. Reading the entire article made me wish that these flippies also came in Kokeshi prints. God is good, before the writer ended her article, she mentioned it comes in 3 designs : Brazilian, Kokeshi and Matryoshka. 

As you all notice, Im a huge sucker for kokeshi dolls, I adore japanese dolls! Oooh! I forgot to mention, I also collect japanese dolls, 1015 from the last time I counted them. Hahaha! 

So whatelse can be cuter than combining 2 things that you love in just 1 item? 

Havaianas Slim Dolls in Kokeshi :

available in 3 colors - Dark Brown/Golden Sun, Grey Silver and Baby Lilac 

(paging Havaianas Philippines, ive been a good girl and im a 39/40 sometimes a 41/42, *hint, hint, hint* hahaha!) 

This one i cant let slip, since its LE, will make sure im getting all 3 designs! haha! 

Guerlain Meteorites : Old Packaging vs. New Packaging

Above all the other brands I adore, Guerlain is something I always check for new product releases.

One of my favorite products from Guerlain is their Meteorites, its probably a staple in my make-up stash, not only do I collect different variants of it because of its unique form and cuteness, but I also love how it makes my skin look brighter and radiant.

Guerlain is another European brand that I adore, as we all notice, Euro brands are the most expensive when it comes to beauty products which explains why some get turned off by the hefty price tag of Guerlain Makeups. 

Guerlain Meteorites cost Php 2998.00 from our local Guerlain Counters here in the Philippines, price was based on the Meteorites that come in the old cardboard packaging, Im not really sure if their price increased together with the launching of the Meteorites that come in the new packaging. Holiday Collection and Special Edition releases are also more expensive than those in the regular line.

I was one of those people who wished before that the Meteorites container be upgraded to something much more durable than the cardboard tub, I have always thought it would be friendlier to stash it in my purse it the precious balls were housed in a "better" container.

Hearing the news that the Meteorites now comes in a tin tub, i was giddy to see the new packaging and get my hands on them. I actually thought of selling my old meteorites so I can buy new "upgraded" ones.

When the 2010 Holiday Collection was released, I purchased the Holiday2010 Meteorites immediately, after a week of ordering, I was able to get my hands on my new baby.

I was happy that the packaging looks really nice,

L : Meteorites Holiday 2010 R : Meteorites Mythic

*~* Wishlist *~*

I killed my lemming for some beauty stuff I wanted before, but apparently, the lemming was just diverted to a few stuff I found on the 

Jelly Pong Pong website. 

You see, I have this crazy penchant for cute stuff, thats why ive always been a fan of Jelly Pong Pong Cosmetics, from the packaging to the yummy scents of their cosmetics, this brand will surely become an instant fave for makeup hags like me. 

I used to have their Jelly Push Up Blush and a few other lipglosses that were discontinued already. 

Since they pulled out their Brand from Sephora and when the brand suddenly became unavailable thru eBay International, I wasnt able to grab more JPP stuff again. 

Im actually eyeing just 3 items, all of them are lip products :) 

New Blog Name + New Blog Header

I just thought of changing my Blog Name and Blog Header to prettify my page, 

I think I did well, Im pretty much satisfied with how it turned out, girly and its screaming my name. Heehee!

Tell me what you guys think about those little changes :) 

Love, 

Random Thoughts and Wishful Thinking

Its almost 4 in the morning and Im still up fixing my Blush Collection, I was arranging my blushes according to size and according to their brands, when I found a little lonely baby sitting in one corner of my beautybox, 

the Balm Mary-Loumanizer

Aside from collecting blushes, Highlighters/Luminizers also have a special part in my makeup stash, I love how it changes the overall look of my makeup and I also love how it tweaks the effect of my blushes. 

theBalm is an American brand of cosmetics thats made available locally by The Beauty Bar (ooh! we can now shop for their products online! the product selection isnt complete though. boo!). And surprisingly, the mark up wont really hurt the pocket unlike all the other brands the store carries (Styli-Style for one, is overpriced, in my honest opinion). 

I got my Mary-Loumanizer from a swap in GT (thanks K!), and was lucky to have scored it at Php500.00 ($11.00) versus the actual retail price of around Php 950.00 ($22.00), and mind you, the pan I got was just used several times since the hetchmarks are still visible. 

Ive read a lot of reviews for this product before but never decided to get one for myself until I saw the ad on GT (there goes the thrift shopper in me haha!) 

The Body Shop Cucumber Cleansing Milk

The first review Im going to do today is for The Body Shop's Cucumber Cleansing Milk, we all know how pricey TBS products are in this part of our planet. But for the sake of those who doesnt know, The Body Shop is one of the drugstore brands in the UK. cool huh? 

Im always amazed by how great the quality of Euro Products are, but im pretty much disappointed that they become really expensive when converted to our currency (Phil. Peso). 

The Body Shop is considered to be one of the mid-end brands here in the Philippines, when talking about the price range and all (imagine in UK, TBS is just like our local HBC stores here). I breakout from their bath gels and soaps, so I never dared to try their skincare products coz I fear that I might breakout from those as well.

  

I can only swear by their lip butters, body butters and the cleansing milk im about to do a review for. 

I dont really know what pushed me to purchase the Cleansing Milk, but its prolly because im on a desperate hunt to look for something to match the quality of Nivea Cleansing Milks that apparently have discontinued distribution in the Philippines and i dont know why. 

Im happy with how my Dior Cleansing Milks remove makeup, moisturize my face on the process and doesnt cause me breakouts, but im pretty sure a lot could relate that there are times that we go thru a phase of addiction to a certain beauty product and all you want is to explore different brands and different formulations until you come up with several faves, even if youve already found one that has an HG potential.

Here's a peek on the Cleansing Milk Im talking about : 

It comes in the classic 250ml flip-lid TBS bottle, similar to those of their Bath Gels.  

A closer look on what TBS says about the product.

One more thing I love about TBS products, they are earth-friendly. :) 

"Wipe away makeup, dirt, excess oil and unclog pores with a zesty, refreshing, lightweight cleanser.This refreshing cleansing milk also gently lifts excess oils, make-up and impurities to leave you feeling clean, fresh, soft and smooth. Features Community Trade organically grown soya oil, which helps to restore moisture, smoothness and suppleness."

TBS' Cucumber cleansing milk bears this light, minty-green color and has a mild, refreshing cucumber scent. 

As for the texture, its pretty thick for a Cleansing Milk, well at least for me, as ive tried loads of cleansing milks before and all of them are as thick as heavy cream. This one's different, the consistency is really creamy, just a bit runnier than TBS body butters. 

I kinda have a hard time getting product out of the bottle since its thick and youd have to squeeze the bottle which is hard coz the plastic bottle isnt really the squeezable type. I wish this product came in a bottle with pump so it would be easier to dispense the cream out  of the bottle. 

 I still love the product though, so the bottle doesnt bother me big time. :D hehe! 

The thick cream melts a little when in contact with the warmth of the skin to a smooth creamy consistency. 

Oops, I see alcohol, so it can prolly be a little drying, but I really dont think so, since theres glycerin and other emollients included to moisturize and soothe the skin.

 To be honest, i have no idea what the other ingredients are for, but im happy to see that theres Natural Cucumber Juice included in the concoction, which explains why it makes my skin really fresh and rejuvenated after using this. 

I just slather an ample amount of the product onto my face and massage it gently in circular, upward motion. 

After letting it soak for about 2-3 minutes, I wipe it off gently using baby wipes or cotton pads. 

For removing eye makeup, I just use the CleansingMilk-soaked Cotton pad to wipe my eye area, this works really well even on my toughest-to-remove mascara (IMJU Fiberwig).

You have the option to wash your face afterwards, but since Im lazy, I just doze off after wiping all the cream off my face. 

This product is really great, I dont even need to put moisturizer after and my skin feels soft and supple in the morning. :) 

Product hasnt caused me to breakout, so I guess my skin loves it! :)

12 months, it says on the bottle.

I got it for Php570.00 ($13.00) on eBay Philippines.

I have no idea if this product is available in our local TBS stores, so I also dont have any idea how much it costs here. 

If the item's not available locally, then eBay Phils is the best place to get it. 

Im already planning to get a 2nd bottle since im not sure if they have it in our local TBS stores. 

 ***********************

That wraps up my little review.  

Thanks for droppin by! 

Live, Love, and Stay Fab!!