I think I lost a few inches off my waist!

I don't know if I'm just imagining things or I really lost a couple of inches off my waist. I have worn my yellow shirt once and it felt extremely tight and uncomfortable. When I wore it today, it felt just right and suprisingly, it felt comfy enough. So I took a picture and I looked for a shot a few weeks ago. Here they are.

Third week of July

Today

Funny I'm wearing the same boxers on both pics. Haha! :P

There were less bulges on my waist and tummy. Haha! I dunno. I never went on a strict diet but it could be that I haven't eaten chips or junk food for weeks now and less soda. Even my jeans no longer feel tight. And the same goes for my other shirts that usually hugs my body making my bulges look more obvious but now, they look better. I'm liking it and I will continue doing it. I still eat regular meals though. Whaddaya girls think?

Anyway, I'm heading out for the day and
here's my simple make up of the day.

Have a great Tuesday, ladies! :P
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Red Lips: A First for Me! Using Clinique Long Last Lipstick in Berry Freeze

I took pictures of me wearing my very first red lipstick - Clinique Berry Freeze. I have always been scared of red lipsticks but I read somewhere that every girl should have at least one tube of red lipstick. Let me know if it's a Yay or Nay for me wearing red lipstick. :-)





I'm wearing shades on the pictures, I know. But I was on my way out when I decided to take the pics. Was going to the church, sit on the ground in front of it with a donation box beside me and play the guitar while singing. Kidding. Anyway, lemme know if I'm okay with reds. Thanks!

Happy weekend!


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Skin Consultation with Clinique + ELF Studio Eyeshadow

I was scheduled yesterday to be skin typed by a Clinique consultant at the Clinique Counter in Rustan's Makati. I received an invite from Ms. May Samson of Clinique, unfortunately, I was not able to meet her yesterday as my Mom and I already left Makati when I read a couple of SMS from her that she was already at the counter. :(

The Clinique stuff + the 2 Elf Studio Eyeshadows I bought from a fellow girltalker.

When I was skin typed, I was surprised that I have Dry Combination skin, which is Type 2, as opposed to what I have thought all along that I have Combination Oily skin. It is because my cheeks are dry and there are sometimes flakiness and tightness on that area without moisturizer. I was given samples of the 3-Step Skin Care System and I started using it last night. Will post my review once I have finished all the samples.

I also received a sample of Long Last Lipstick in Berry Freeze and a Lash Power Mascara in Black Onyx.

Here's how Berry Freeze looks like.

I will do a separate review on this lipstick but I like it. I was lemming for a red lippy and this is somewhat red with a hint of brown. Really nice! :P

Anyway, here are the 2 eyeshadows from ELF Studio Line - Mystic Moss and Pebble.

Left: Pebble; Right: Mystic Moss

Swatches (Pebble and Mystic Moss)

I will do a review on these eyeshadows too. Between the two, I am liking Mystic Moss more. :)

Anyway, weekend's almost here. :P


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Yum Moments: Random Dishes and Black Forest Cheesecake

How's your weekend, everyone? Anyway, it's been a year since I've posted anything food-related. There are a lot of food here today since it's my uncle and aunt's birthdays today. I'd just like to share some pics of those yummy dishes.

Roasted chicken in lemongrass and pepper, shanghai rolls, barbecue, pininyahang manok (chicken in pineapple and milk), and cassava cake.

They saved these for me since I woke up in the evening but I only had 3 sticks of barbecue. Haha! :P

There was also shabu shabu and menudo but it was all gone in less than half an hour. Was not even able to taste it.

For dessert, there was blackforest cheesecake.

Cake without the cream cheese icing.

Cream cheese and cherry filling.

With cream cheese icing and cherries and shredded chocolate on top.

Here's my small share.Not a huge fan of chocolate as I do not have a sweet tooth. Only ate the icing and cherry here though. :P

It was fun making the cream cheese icing. Yum!

Happy Monday tomorrow! :P
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Product Comparison (Spend vs. Save): Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited BG949 vs. Maybelline Color Sensational Totally Toffee

As I've mentioned on my review on Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Totally Toffee, I find it quite similar to Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Lipstick in BG949. In fact, they are so similar that I thought they can pass as spend vs. save lippies. Let me first discuss the similarities and differences then I'll later show you the swatches.


Both lipsticks are on the pink-beige family that can pass as nude lippies but are not totally nude. Doesn't sound right but depending on your skintone and how pigmented your lips are, these can be used as beige-pink nude lippies.

Similarities:
- Both glide smoothly on the lips.
- Texture is nice.
- Creamy.
- Pigmented.
- Both are scented though I am not a huge fan of Shu's scent but I can tolerate Maybelline's scent.
- Same shade family.
- Leaning towards being cool toned.

Differences:
- Shu lasts longer than Maybelline.
- PRICE. I got the Shu lipstick for PHP1350 and PHP175 (not super sure but it's definitely less than 200 bucks) for Maybelline.
- Availability. The Shu lippy is available on Shu counters whereas this US version of Maybelline Color Sensational is not locally available.

To further show you how similar both lippies are and to somewhat justify that they can be spend vs. save lippies, here are the swatches.

Under natural light:

Taken under different lighting:

Can you tell them apart? Which one is the Shu lippy and which one is the Maybelline lippy? Any guesses? They look awfully similar, right?

The one on the left is from Shu and the one on the right is the Maybelline lippy. :)

Anyway, I'll let you decide and be the judge if these two are indeed spend vs. save lippies. Have a great Friday, everyone! :P

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Product Review: Biore Pore Perfect Shine Control Moisturizer

I started religiously using moisturizers only this year and liked how my oiliness lessened even with it on my face. My powder foundation glides smoothly on my skin and doesn't look too matte which I like. So on my quest to finding a better moisturizer, I saw a fellow girltalker selling this Biore Pore Perfect Shine Control Moisturizer and immediately contacted her about this product. After a week, we were able to finally meet and she was really nice and had a smile on her face. Anyway, time for the review.


What I like:
- First of all, I like packaging. It's in a pump bottle and the color is really cute. It is hygienic too as I don't have to use a spatula just to get product from it unlike with moisturizers in tubs. I'll re-use this bottle for other products once I'm done with this.
- Easily absorbed by the skin, dries to a matte finish. Dries in as quick as a minute.
- Consistency is somewhat similar to SkinMD which is cool with me.
- Formulated for those with oily skin.
- Blends with the skin really well.
- I only need less than a pea size for my entire face.
- Oil-free
- Non-greasy
- Controls oil indeed. I don't need to blot until after 4 or 5 hours which is already good given that I have combination-oily skin.
- Smell is somewhat cocomilk-ish and cucumber melon-ish. Smells pleasant but gone in a minute or two.
- Did not break me out

What I don't like:
- Already discontinued.
- No SPF (which is okay with me since I use foundation with SPF)

Overall rating: 4.75/5

Will I buy again? Well, since this has been discontinued, I'll try the other Biore variants once I use up all my other moisturizers. :)

Here's how it looks like:

Happy Wednesday! :P Have to get back to work.
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Product Review: Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Totally Toffee

I'm going to review the US Version of this Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Totally Toffee. I really like this lipstick but since I found it quite similar with my Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Lipstick in BG 949, it's no longer with me. My mom's loving this lippie. But I just thought of sharing with you guys what I thought of this lipstick.

Totally Toffee is a nude brown with a little pink/peach tone. Quite frankly, I thought this is the best nude MLBB I've tried before I had the Shu one.

What I like:
- Creamy and glides smoothly on the lips.
- Pigmented as I only need a swipe on each lip to get the desired color.
- Glossy but not over the top glossy. No need to even put a lipgloss on top. The glossy finish is really nice.
- The one I had doesn't have the scent that some girls have complained about. It became friends with my nose. :P
- The packaging is quite nice. I like this better than the usual packaging that we have in Manila.
- It was kinda moisturizing but not moisturizing enough for me.
- Cheap. Got it on eBay for less than 200 bucks.
- Lasts a bit longer than I expected it to.

What I don't like:

- After a couple of hours, it tends to settle on the lines on my lips which isn't a good thing.
- This shade is not locally available. We have a different version here in Asia/Manila.

Overall rating: 3.75/5

Will I buy again? Maybe if I found another shade I want to try. But this is good for make up newbies and those exploring the world of lippies.

Swatch

Lip swatch

Happy Tuesday! :)
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Product Review: ELF Candy Shop Lip Gloss in Cherry Bomb

I'm almost out of my favorite MAC Tinted Lip Conditioner in Gentle Coral. I've had it for a year now and I think it will all be gone in just a few more uses. So I decided to try several other lippies that may serve as tinted lip balms just like MAC TLC but failed miserably. In an attempt to find a substitute good, I was able to try ELF Candy Shop Lip Gloss in Cherry Bomb. I've been kind of intrigued with these lippies in flat tin cans but never actually dared try them until that day when I purchased it. But hey, here are a couple of pictures first.

I actually like the color on the pan.

What I like:
- The color is a pretty red berry shade.
- Cheap for PHP129.75 or so (which is still double the price of ELF in the US as this is a little less than $3) here in the PH and locally available at most department stores nationwide.

What I don't like:
Almost everything about it!
- The scent. It's too sweet that it smells like something which I can't point my finger to. Not vanilla sweet but more on blech.
- The texture is greasy and oily and feels like there are tiny granules in the gloss itself and I dunno what the heck those granule-like thingies are.
- I knew it was going to be sheer but I never expected it to be so sheer that I had to pile on a lot on my lips for the color to show up.
- The packaging. See, I don't mind having lippies in pots but this one's just not easy to work with. The cover doesn't slide smoothly. It just sucks.

Overall rating: 1/5

Will I buy again? Most certainly not! I feel like I've wasted almost 130 bucks for something which I won't get to use at all.

Lip swatch

Happy start of the week, everyone. :)


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