Product Review: Beauty Blender

Having the right makeup tools is essential and investing on the right ones is even more important. But is it possible to have almost everything you need to apply foundation, concealer, and blushes in just one tool? Sounds impossible and too good to be true, right? But it's not. In fact, you can have all those in just a tiny hot pink  egg-shaped makeup sponge known as the Beauty Blender. I have mentioned on my January Favorites post that I initially thought this product was just a waste of money but later on proved me wrong. To find out why, read the rest of this post.

A cute hot pink egg-shaped sponge that significantly grows bigger when wet and goes back to being tiny once dry.

What I like:
- It blends my under eye concealer perfectly. I use the pointed side of the BB and it blends it in like a dream. Doesn't settle on the fine lines too.
- According to some users and reviewers, it provides an airbrushed finish when the stippling or bouncing motion or what I personally call the "toink-toink" motion is used. Though I do not really see it at all, I like the natural finish it gives. It is better than wet sponges, stippling brushes, or fingers.
- It can also be used for cream blushes and cream eyeshadows.
- Re-usable. You only need to wash it after every use.
- Can last for months, probably for more than a year if taken cared of properly.
- Locally available at Rustan's.

What I don't like:
- It takes time and effort to use it if you do the stippling motion.
- The price which is Php1495 for the sponge alone at Rustan's.
- Since it needs to be washed after every use, you end up using more water and sponge cleaner or whatever you use to clean it.

Overall rating: 3.5/5

Will I buy again? I might not. While this is quite a good product, I honestly don't think it is a must have. I think it is one of the products where I might in the future say, "it was good while it lasted". Yeah, it wasn't a total waste of money but it is definitely something I can live without.

This product has received mostly positive reviews but has also received some negative ones like "There isn't anything this beauty blender can do that a wedge sponge can't". There is some truth to it though I think that while a wedge sponge can do almost everything that this BB can, I think BB does a better job at those things. But not enough to totally convince me to repurchase. It only became a favorite because I felt the need to use it because of its price, I guess. And I just love using it with my concealer.

Its original size when dry

Its size significantly increases when wet.

Getting cozy with someone. :P

Have you tried the Beauty Blender?

Happy Tuesday, super awesome peeps! :P
Read more...

Yum Moments: Spicy Tuna with Basil and Lemon Penne

Lately I've been craving for pasta so I had my mom buy the lasagna and chicken combo from Greenwich because the commercial was so enticing and I honestly like their lasagna. But it was an utter disappointment because the lasagna barely had any sauce and meat. 3-4 layers of pasta without much in between wasn't worth the price and simply left me craving for something better. I decided to just cook something that may somewhat satisfy that craving. I wanted to keep it simple yet something different from the usual red and/or white sauce and here's what I came up with.

I made two batches. One with tomato sauce and the other without it. For the first batch, I cooked it with just oil in the tuna instead of using olive oil. As for the second batch, I added a little bit of tomato sauce in it. I only needed a few ingredients for this dish - garlic, tuna and its oil, basil, salt and pepper to taste, and of course, pasta. Oh, I also added a small amount of lemon juice. I just grated some cheese which I eventually sprinkled on the pasta. :)

With tomato sauce.

What's your fave pasta dish?

Happy Monday, super awesome peeps! :) Read more...

Makeup Goodies!

It has been almost a week since I have last posted a blog entry. I've been too lazy to blog lately and couldn't even bring myself to review stuff. So I'll just simply post about the makeup goodies I've purchased and received recently.

 Jill Stuart Blush in  06 Fresh Apricot - currently loving it!

Maybelline Dream Matte Powder in Cream (Light 4-5)

Revlon Beyond Natural Protective Lip Tint in Neutral Pink

And lastly, the sweet and lovely blogger Chantzy sent me some NYC tinted lip balms last January. It took over a month (which is a first for me) before I received it that we thought the package was already lost. She also included some L'Oreal Magic Smooth Souffle Makeup which reminded me of the Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Makeup. I already opened the one in the middle and I like it a lot! Review soon. Thanks again, J, for the lovely goodies. :)

I'm glad to say that I have controlled my spending habits and didn't go gaga like I did during the holidays. It's kinda weird but I think I have lost my appetite when it comes to makeup. I no longer get thrilled when I see makeup counters. Maybe I had too much before. Haha! 

Anyway, happy Friday, super awesome peeps! :P

Read more...

Indulge Nail Lounge & Spa Experience

The nail art business is booming! Aside from the ingenius and awesome beauty bloggers who do nail art tutorials, more and more people are coming up with nail art salons. Last Wednesday, I got the chance to try a service from Indulge Nail Lounge & Spa here in Marikina. It is just a few houses away from ours so getting there wasn't any problem at all. Here's how it looks.

Shot from the outside so you'll know which one it is if you're from Marikina.

The reception

The Nail Art Designs

Some of their nail polishes

Services and Price List

Where they pamper your feet and give you pedi. There were 5 seats, if I remember it right. The seats are comfortable enough and the pillows can be used for your neck or you can simply hold on to it while you pray to Dear Lord that your toes won't be "murdered". Of course, mine weren't. I'm glad to know that my feet were in good hands. My feet were soaked and washed before the pedi started. I was supposed to get nail art for my fingernails but I chewed off mypinkie nail the night before because I was tensed over something and before I knew it, t'was already a mess. I was told I can have nail art done on my toe nails as well but I am a minimalist when it comes to nail polish and I simply went for the classic ol' french tip. I also got a foot and leg massage. Overall, I really like the place - it was warm and cozy and the staff were courteous and friendly. The ambiance was relaxing and I think the decor and the wall design also added to it. I will definitely try their other services one of these days. For those who are in the Marikina area, you may want to give their services a try. They mostly use The Face Shop, Elianto, and Orly nail polishes, by the way.

My pedi! :P

By the way, I got these last Thursday - NuSkin Non-Surgical Face Lift Kit

For those who are interested to try the services at Indulge, it is located at the blue building along JP Rizal Street in Malanday (Lamuan), Marikina. It is right across Bamboo Grill Asia and South Supermarket. You may contact them at 861-9442 for inquiries and stuff.


Disclaimer: Service was received for free but does not in any way affect what I think of the service in general.

Happy Saturday, super awesome peeps! :P
Read more...

Yum Moments: Street Food Uric Acid and Gout Fest!

Lately, I find myself craving for isaw (chicken intestines) so when my food trip buddy and I, together with another friend, had the spa and makeover session last Saturday, we did not let the chance to eat isaw pass by. And here's what we had. Oh, if your stomach easily churns as the sight of something you don't get to see and eat everyday, I suggest you close the window because it might make you say, "They eat that???!!!" :P

I used to call the chicken intestine SSSSSS isaw because it's like a continuous S. Then we had pork intestines and pork ear and a chicken thingie. I love the gravy-like sauce. Each stick costs 5 bucks and they are clean as compared to what we usually see on the streets. We have tried a couple of those and they had those thingies inside the intestines that tasted bitter which gave me an upset stomach after a few hours. These never made me sick and the foodtrip buddy has been buying from them for months now. And please, I'd choose isaw over balut any time of the day. At least this one doesn't have hair and eyes and a beak.

The last 3 sticks. ISAWS UNITE! :P

 

Oh, weird and mean people are all over the blogsphere. And I wasn't spared. A dementor (thanks to Harry Potter and Wikipedia for the definition of dementor)anonymous left a comment on a blog entry I posted more than a year ago.

Anonymous: fat face! you dunno haha!
Me: I know and I couldn't care less about what you think. :)

I have a feeling it's another case of an immature brat who has so much time in her hands trying to make other people feel misarable in order to feel better about herself. Sorry, but I love my fat face and I have no issues with it. So you can take a look at my fat face once again until you get sick and tired of it. :P

 

Have you eaten isaw? :P

Happy Tuesday, super awesome peeps! :P

Read more...

Ambush Makeover 2

Yesterday, a couple of friends and I had a NuSkin spa and makeover session and I made over someone. Here are her before and after pictures and we did a little camwhoring. :P

BEFORE

She doesn't have a lot of skin problems except for uneven skin tone and a couple of spots here and there but those were nothing makeup cannot conceal. She has combination-oily skin so I had to apply an oil control product before her makeup.

AFTER

 
Sorry, we had to eat some street food - isaw.

 

This was after a few hours, thus, her nose started to oil up.

 

The stuff I used on her face:

- Alba Botanica Acne Dote Oil Control Lotion

- Lancome Teint Idole Ultra in 02 Lys Rose

- MAC Studio Finish Concealer

- MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation

- Kryolan Anti Shine Powder

- Revlon Brow Fantasy in Brunette

- Laura Mercier Eyeshadow - Rose, Topaz, Coffee Ground

- Wet 'n' Wild ColorIcon Eyeshadow Single - Envy

- Maybelline Gel Liner

- Maybelline The Colossal Mascara

- Laura Mercier Blush in Plum and Baby Pink

- Laura Mercier Eyeshadow in Coffee Ground to contour her nose and cheeks

- Palladio Herbal Lip Slix in Rosewood

- Stila Lip Glaze in Starfruit

I'm so glad to have done another Ambush Makeover! Let me know what you think. :P

Happy Sunday, super awesome peeps! :P

Read more...

Product Review: NARS Laguna Bronzer

If you have a round face and chubby cheeks like mine, using a bronzer or a contouring powder can help you have more defined features. I, for one, like having those defined cheekbones that I don't really have so when I read good reviews and raves about NARS Laguna, I thought I had to buy one and I did. This review has been on my drafts for a couple of weeks now and it is only now that I decided to post this one. So here is the review.

As usual, it comes with the NARS rubber packaging. This one is larger than the blushes though.

 
What I like:
- It doesn't turn orange or red on me. It stays true to its color.
- Pigmented and you don't need much product for it to show on your cheeks.
- It has super fine shimmers but are barely visible once on the skin so this is great for contouring.
- Unscented.
- Not chalky nor powdery, texture is nice and easy to blend.
- Locally available at NARS counters in Rustan's.

What I don't like:
-Expensive at Php1750 per compact but if you will use it every day, I think price is reasonable since it comes with a huge amount of product that will most likely last you for years.
- My cheeks are dry and this does not last for a long time, perhaps, 2 hours max on me. Whether or not I use a primer, a liquid or powder foundation, it does not last on me which disappointed me big time.

Overall rating: 3/5 Overall, this is a good product which can do the job for you. Apparently, this does not work that much for me due to its poor staying power on my skin. But I like it for contouring. It's just that I do mind having to bring this wherever I go for touch ups if I want to maintain that contoured cheeks all throughout the day.

Will I buy again? I'm on the fence with this one. I have sold this last week and even though I am thinking of repurchasing this in the future, the fact that it doesn't last long on me keeps me from doing that. But knowing myself, I just might.

 Swatch

On me

 

Have you tried this product? What bronzers do you use or contouring products can you recommend?

Happy Saturday, super awesome peeps! :P

Read more...

Estee Lauder Pure Color Lipstick in Crystal Pink

When I was hauling last Christmas season, this was a lipstick I was kind of unsure if I should keep it or not. I have put this lipstick up for sale and never really gave it a chance. Though I really thought it was pretty, I thought it didn't work for me because of its blue tones. It was only when someone asked about this lipstick that I realized how pretty this really is. And when she haggled to buy it for only Php350 inclusive of shipping, I immediately said no mainly because I got it for Php1250 and I've had it for only a month plus I saw a lip swatch of it and thought it was really pretty. Haggling is okay, but you know, just at least be reasonable with it. I wanted so much to say, "Ineng, punta ka na lang sa Rustan's and try mo tumawad sa sales assistant dun, baka sakali pumayag." (Go to Rustan's and try haggling with the sales assistants there, they might agree to the price.)Meanie, I know, but I can't help it. :P So I gave it another swipe and decided to just keep it for myself. I found ways on how to make it work better for me and to somehow neutralize the blue tones in it. First, allow me to show you how pretty this is.

As usual, the packaging is really pretty. I find it luxurious (I don't know how many times I have used the word luxurious in my recent posts) and classy. The gold cap with the Estee Lauder logo which serves as a lock to keep it secured to the tube.

A very pretty pink shade with blue tones that is glossy without any shimmers in it. I also find it non-drying and creamy and applies smoothly. It goes on sheer so it is build-able. Once again, my beef with it is the scent. It is somewhat overpowering but not as bad as the scent of Guerlain Kiss Kiss. It goes away after a couple of minutes. Since it is sheer and glossy, I find it perfect to pair with dark or bright colored lipsticks to somewhat tone down the darkness or brightness. I also like using it as a gloss.

Swatch

On the lips

Applied on top of Clinique Berry Freeze lipstick.

 

 

Have you tried Estee Lauder lipsticks?

Happy Thursday, super awesome peeps! :P
Read more...