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!! 

Benefit Box O' Powder : Bella Bamba

The brand is something that will never be out of my faves list, when I was still a starter in collecting and using makeups, Benefit was my go-to brand, the selection wasnt as broad as it is today, but it never failed, they've always had good stuff.

 Being a sucker for the brand, I used to have all the blushes in their Box O' Powders line, Georgia, Thrrrob and Dandelion. 

It was just recently that they released shades that are much more wearable for people with darker skintones and warm undertones -- i found that georgia and dandelion  was too light to be used as a blush on my nc30 skintone back then, so I decided to sell them. 

Last year, Benefit released Coralista -- another blush from the Box O' Powders line, it was surprisingly pigmented than the previous blushes they made.

(I have yet to do a review for this one prolly after this Bella Bamba post) 

For Spring2011, they released a new Shade -- Bella Bamba. I was curious because the name was so cute, got even more curious when I heard how they described the shade - 3D brightening pink face powder. I love stuff that brightens the complexion! So I decided I have to get one ASAP! Hahah! I was unlucky to find one on ebay. I was able to score my Bella Bamba after much searching thru -- La Petite Confiserie an online cosmetics store based in the Philippines owned by a Fellow Girltalker, Caren.

Now im talking (typing?) too much, going back to my review. :D 

Since its from the Box O' Powders line, expect that your blush is housed in a carton box so you have to be extra careful in stashing this on your purse, the box's design, just like Coralista's fierce packaging, is a winner, its a holographic blend of hotpink, orange and magenta. But Benefit tweaked the packaging a wee bit the lid is now attached to the base of the blush, and secures snugly with a magnetic closure.

and since there were a lot of feedbacks before that some users hate that their boxed powders doesnt come with a mirror, theyve added a mirror on the inner part of the lid. Talk about convenience. ;) 

From the website, it says : 

"Amplify cheekbones and create the illusion of sculpted features with this 3D watermelon blush. Laced with shimmering gold undertones, bella bamba is taking eye popping pretty to the third dimension...you'll never use traditional blush again!"

For me, its a medium tone pink with a hint of gold iridescence, this isnt a sheer blush, so be really careful with the application since its really pigmented, I figured that it looks nicest when I use my Coastal Scents Duo Fibre brush to apply this, it catches the right amount of color and sheen that makes my cheeks look stunning. 

Heavy Swatch vs. Light Swatch 

See how perfect the color is? Its pigmented but the color is not too loud, apart from the impression that it might appear really frosty on the cheeks, it wouldnt. Check out the swatches, the shimmer is barely even noticeable. Especially on the cheeks. Being a sucker for anything that imparts a glowing effect, I love this blush to bits! I even love the scent too! 

It smells like watermelon jelly beans, sweet but not overpowering. I would have to commend Benefit Cosmetics for coming up with a product this good. 

Its Paraben-Free. <3 <3 <3 

It comes with a really nice brush

I love that the edges of this brush are tapered. Bristles are soft and very much usable, it picks up color and can blend it really well, but then like ive mentioned, I like using my Coastal Scents Duo Fiber brush with Bella Bamba. The effect is much nicer that way. 

Considering the weather in the Philippines nowadays, this blush would last a good 5 hours on your cheeks, less if you are oily but longer if youre staying in an airconditioned room most of the time. 

YeppYepp! Used this blush several times already. No breakouts. :) 

I doubt if I can hit the pan on this, but if theyre going to discontinue the shade soon, prolly Ill get a backup or if its still in the market after 2 years (thats how long I keep my blushes with me) then Ill go get another one to replace this.. :)

Since its a powder blush, I think 12-24 months would be good. Hygienic usage is required though to prolong its lifespan for 2years max :) 

Retails $28.00 if bought directly in the States. Php 1650.00 ($39.00) Plus Shipping fee if bought from resellers here in the Philippines. 

Benefit Cosmetics 

Sephora 

eBay Philippines 

La Petite Confiserie

Do you have Bella Bamba? Love it? Hate it? Share your thoughts. :) 

Thanks for droppin by! 

Live, Love, and Stay Fab!