♥♥♥ HK Goodies ♥♥♥

 Just sharing the goodies I got from HK. :) 

Nope, I didnt go to HK recently, but Chel (KikayMD) was nice enough to ask me if I wanted something from HK so she can get them for me -- I only asked her to get me a backup for my Guerlain Serie Noire Blush from the Guerlain Spring Collection 2011.

Its really nice when friends remember you whenever they see something that youd like, and for someone I havent met yet, KikayMD sure is one of the most thoughtful people I know. Wanna know why? 

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I dunno if its mental telepathy or just pure coincidence, but she got me a blush similar to what I watched on ebay for how many weeks, but when Ive finally decided to buy it, it was already sold. 
Its just the other day when I found out that KikayMD bought the blush for herself. Talk about having the same taste for cutesy makeup. haha! 


Ive always loved Canmake blushes because of the glowy finish, Canmake is a  Japanese drugstore brand that has great quality.  I have 2 of their Cheek + Highlight duos and this one's my first Cheek Gradation blush. 

Canmake Cheek Gradation Blush in 06

this might look too frosty on the pan, but when applied, it gives a pinky-peach glowing flush.

Apart from the Canmake Blush, she also got me glosses from H&M 

these glosses smell like creme brulee! <3 <3 <3

The packaging and the formula is love! 

Coral Hibiscus - Pink Flamingo - Beige Orchid

I love shimmer glosses and I love the colors of these, coral, pale pink and shimmery nude! :) 

The formula isnt sticky, the colors are vibrant and they smell yummy!

(these glosses have the same finish as Chanel Glossimer) 

Lastly, here are some pictures of the Guerlain Serie Noire Blush backup that I asked Chel to purchase for me, I paid HKD 480.00 for this which is around Php2800.00 ($65.00), a little cheaper than the retail price from Guerlain counters here in the Philippines. 

Pretty and will surely leave you contemplating if youd want to touch it or not. 

Pretty Hotpink brush. :) 

In the new, deep gunmetal-colored packaging (for a change from the typical gold or silver compacts) 

Will review these items in the coming days. (^_^)

Thanks Chel for my new babies! I love all of them! :) 

That sums up my HK haul post. 

Live, Love and Stay Fab! :)

The Balm That Earned The HG Throne

Dry, Chapped Lips and Windburns are common cases here in the Philippines because of the weather. I used to be bothered by dry, chapped lips before that there were instances that id smile or say something and Id feel my lips crack and bleed. :(

I was formerly a fan of C.O Bigelow Glosses because of the minty feel of their glosses and their Lip Renewal Remedy is one of the best products Ive tried that gets rid of dry, chapped, windburned lips overnight, yes, overnight but then youd still have to put something on top of the renewal remedy cream to keep your lips moisturized. It doesnt really work alone.

And then I came across Smith's Rosebud Salve -- I found it on Mom's cosmetic case. It sure did wonders, without the hassle of putting on 2 products to treat the dryness of my lips. 

The Rosebud Balms come in 22gram tins and each variant can be bought separately, however, as shown on the photo above, i was able to score a package of 3 rosebud balms that come in a special edition tin (strawberry, minted rose and original rose). 

I find the packaging really classy, it has this vintagey touch to it that I love. 

The Original Formula - the most buttery of them all, bears a classic Rose Scent that I really love, even if some people thinks it smells like Granny. 

Minted Rose - Original formula tweaked. Minty version and bears a more balmy texture that doesnt feel waxy at all. 

Mocha Rose - a classic "coffeeshop" flavor thats yummy indeed, it reminds me of creamy coffee and warm, butter cookies. Like the minted rose, has a balmy but not waxy texture. 

Strawberry - this, by far is the best smelling Strawberry balm i came across with. Similar to the previous two, bears a balmy but not waxy texture .

All shades basically go on sheer, transparent and colorless. Even the Minted Rose variant the looks the reddest of them all (from the pan) doesnt offer significant changes to the color of the lips. These balms do contain Petrolatum but it doesnt have that oily feel like when you apply pure petroleum jelly on your lips which I find icky. These 4 tins I have are the "yummy" ones (since they smell good), in my honest opinion. I love all of them but then there has to be a favorite -- The Original Formula. Its the best of all the balms they have, can do "miracles" to dry elbows, dry lips, dry heels overnight. Yes, miracles do happen overnight with Smiths Rosebud Salve! 

Not included on the photo are 2 other variants ive tried but i didnt really like, 

the Menthol variant - which doesnt really work well when applied on the lips because its for minor cuts, burns, insect bites and other skin irritations. 

the Brambleberry Variant - i didnt really like the rose-berry combination, smells stale for me, it doesnt smell fresh at all. 

All variants have different compositions, ingredients list taken from Rosebud Perfume Co. Website  : 

Rosebud Salve:
Petrolatum, Aromol (Trade Secret Blend of Essential Oils), Cottonseed Oil.

Strawberry Lip Balm:
Petrolatum, Vilvanolin, Natural White Beeswax, Strawberry Flavor.

Minted Rose Lip Balm:
Petrolatum, Aromol (Trade Secret Blend of Essential Oils), Peppermint Oil, Cottonseed Oil.

Mocha Rose

 Aromol (Trade Secret Blend of Essential Oils), Shea Butter and Vitamin E in a special Petrolatum base.

I use sanitized spatulas to scrape product off the pan rather than dipping my fingers or a lipbrush directly on it to prolong its lifespan. Another swipe and go product. Easy, cheap, but does wonders.

And oh, before I forget, they also released a liquid version of the Original formula and it comes in a squeeze tube. Convenient for those who doesnt like lip products that comes in pots/tins.

Since i have this habit of licking or wiping my lips once in a while (we all know how dusty it is here in the Philippines) and glosses/balms tend to be a dust magnet, i reapply this every hour or every 2 hours. 

Yes, No doubt about it. :) 

It is backup worthy, especially when they release limited edition scents/flavors such as Brambleberry and Mocha Rose.

With hygienic usage, I would say a tin would be best used within a year, if dipping your fingers or a used lipbrush directly on the pan, 6 months.

A tin would cost you Php550.00 if you buy locally. or $16.00 for a pack of three (Strawberry, Minted Rose, and Original Rose) if you know someone who lives in the States. :) 

Best place to get Smiths Products locally is from IORA, its a clothing shop seen on almost every SM Department store there is, they sell them for Php550 which is around $12 each. And they do have testers, not recommending you to try them thru the testers but its the best way to choose the scent you would like because some people find the Rose scent of the Original Formula too overpowering (i think otherwise though). Cheapest deal though is from Sephora, $16.00 for a pack of three tins already, plus you get to have the limited edition tin. <3 <3 <3 

Have you tried these? Love them? Hate them? Share your thoughts. 

Live, Love and Stay Fab! :) 

NARS Liquid Eyeliner in LAKME

Since I want to give my readers a more thorough review of all the beauty stuff Im using, Ive decided to make categories for the points I wouldnt want to miss. :) So there, lets proceed to the review under the new format. Meow.

I have chinky eyes, and my make-up wont be complete without having a good eyeliner with me, Im not a big fan of pencil liners since none of the pencils Ive tried met my standards. I love how cream/gel liners perform, that when used on top of a good eyeshadow base, the formula wont budge. So constantly, like how I search for nice blush and lipgloss shades/brands, im also on the lookout for liquid/gel liners that have good staying power and would withstand my oilmine, or eyelids rather. Rawrr!  

The product review im sharing with you ladies now is a liquid eyeliner I got from eBay, its from NARS Cosmetics and the shade is called Lakme. 

 The product itself comes in a small, bottle similar to that of NARS nail polish. 

*(just to show the size comparison to a standard MAC Lipstick. Cutesy! )*

I find the packaging kinda off, since the brush it came with which looks like this : 

wont be able to reach thru the contours of the bottle, ive tried this product for just about 2-3x, so i have no idea if the contents will slide off the sides of the glass bottle as the volume decreases so that using every drop of this would be a breeze, the bottle's neck is a bit narrow so it would also be hard to scrape the product off the sides if ever you're near using the product all up. To cut it short, in terms of the packaging, im not really a fan, I wish the bottle's neck is a bit wider. 

From the Bottle 

swatched outdoors ; natural daylight

swatched indoors ; under fluorescent light

The shade is pretty much like tanzanite but with bluish - silver iridescence, that does a great job in defining the eyes. the color payoff is great, intensity is buildable. The consistency on the other hand is creamy (similar to the consistency of fresh fluidlines, smooth like butter) not really runny liquid like other liquid liners in the market.

one of the things I dont like about this is -- Its loaded with parabens. 

But i dont mind using it still, its a great product anyway. haha!

You can opt to dip your brush in the bottle, but i prefer using a cotton swab to take some product out of the bottle and swipe my brush in the cotton bud. It works just like any other cream/gel liners out there, dip and swipe. Layer to reach the desired intensity of color. 

 the staying power is superb -- makes me wonder why it isnt available in all NARS counters, this is way better than MAC Fluidlines, and I swear by that statement. Once the product dries, it is literally smudgeproof, under the running water test, it still wont budge. Once its dry, you wont feel like you slapped on something on your lids, it dries to a finish that doesnt make the lids feel tight -- second skin is the perfect way to describe the finish. It performs that way with or without a good primer. Its THAT good. 

Absobloodylutely! 

I wanna try other colors available, but another bottle of Lakme, I dont think so, since im pretty sure this bottle would last me long. Really long. Since theres a lot of product and I only need a little each time I use it. 

Next shade im eyeing aside from the black one is this : 

purrrty!! 

If used hygienically, i would say the product would last until its not usable anymore, like when it dries up or when the components start to separate. But for people who choose to dip their brushes directly onto the bottle, prolly 6months-8months would be good. 

I was able to score it for Php 500.00 thru eBay Philippines, that's around $12.00 versus the actual retail value of $27.50. Great deal, isnt it? 

The NARS Cosmetics website carries the product, but comes in just 3 shades : 

Angel Heart (Rich Black), Shake Down (Burgundy) and Showgirl (Gold). 

Anyone else interested in getting this? Lets pool our orders! :)) 

Im dying to have all the shades there is! haha!

Live, Love and Stay Fab! 

When Temptations Get In The Picture..

Im officially on no-buy mode since yesterday, April 24,2011. 

What made me join this Project is because I dug into my stash of makeups and felt guilty that i already have TOO MUCH makeups sitting in my junkyard (aka. beauty closet, aka. bedroom).

And this morning, just after browsing Sol's online store -- Digital Traincase, I came across 2 products that caught my attention, 

1st : 

NYX Tango with Bronzing Stix $8.95

Create a natural sun-kissed glow with NYX new Tango with Bronzing Stix. This cream bronzing stick can be used both on your face and body. Portable stick applicator makes application a breeze - just apply, blend and go!

it comes in four shades as shown on the photo below, but im only eye-ing 2, Tango and Highlight and Merengue Flush.

I wanna get those two for the simple reason that im currently obsessed (yes, im so inlove) with my Shiseido Accentuating Color Stick in Champagne as it gives a very very nice glow. Thats why im looking for other products that could probably match the quality of sheen that i want but wouldnt break the bank and make my wallet cry for mercy. hahaha! 

2nd : 

NYX Tango with Bronzing Powder $11.39

Create a natural sun-kissed glow with NYX Tango with Bronzer Powder. These mosaic powder bronzers are available in five different patterns that feature various shades of bronze. It can be on face and body. This handy compact is great for use on the beach and on the go!

the reason why I wanna try this one is pretty shallow, I find it tacky that this product looks like a hybrid of Guerlain Bronzers and Too Faced Blusher/Bronzers (which i already have). See images below. Agree? 

First 2 from the left are from Guerlain and the 3rd item is Too Faced Pink Leopard Highlighter

Well we cant blame drugstore brands to copy best selling items from much more expensive brands, theres always a dupe and a cheaper version for almost everything nowadays. :))

Going back to NYX, here are the 5 shade selections for the Tango with Bronzing Powder.

When leopard gets a Tan is cute, it looks pretty much like my Pink Leopard Bronzer from Too Faced, but I still want it so I can compare the two products. 

Among all the US drugstore brands ive tried, NYX so far is one of the top 3 brands that I love, in terms of quality and variety of products you can choose from. 

Now if you're asking if ill break my pact of not buying anything, honestly, im still contemplating. If I ask Hun to buy them for me, will that be considered a cheat? Hahahahahaha! 

For more affordable NYX stuff and other beauty items, browse this Online Shopping Site:

Digital Traincase by Lelila


Do you have the items Im eyeing? Tell me what you think about them, maybe you could help ease this urge to get my hands on those.. :)


PS : More product reviews and swatches laterrr! :)
Smooches and Hugs to everyone!



Live, Love and Stay Fab!! :)