My Best and Worst Product Purchases in 2009

I have been inspired by fellow bloggers' posts about the best products they have purchased and used in 2009 so I decided to come up with my own. So here are the best and worst products I have bought and used for the past year.




Let me start with the worst or probably the products I regret to have purchased and used.

The 10 Worst 2009 Buys: (in no particular order)

1. Dickinson's Witch Hazel Toner - Yellow Variant
- This product made my skin look dirty and I broke out with it.


2. Charcoal Soap from Saizen
- Dried out my skin and made it flaky and gave me red marks and dried out my cheeks so bad.


3. Garnier Light Cleansing Foam
- Broke me out in the past, I should've known better instead of repurchasing this year to once again give it a try


4. Skin 79 Diamond Collection Star Glow Cheek
- This has to be the worst smelling blush/highlighter ever! Smelled like beans and greens and worse, smelt like a rotten one that I can't stand using it.


5. ELF Sunkissed Bronzer
- It broke on its own after less than 24 hours upon purchasing it so I was not able to use it.


6. False Eyelashes & Glue from Saizen
- The glue stung my eyes so bad and the pair I got was so hard to work with.


7. Olay Regenerist Cleanser
- Olay's supposed to be a good product but I am one of those unlucky bunch who broke out with Olay products.



8. Sunsilk Straight & Sway Shampoo & Conditioner (Green ones from the picture)
- Made my hair brittle and dry. I couldn't touch my hair as it feels annoying.


9. The Soap Factory Tomato Soap
- Broke me out after just a couple of washes.


10. A few more mineral make up
- I know mineral make up breaks me out but I decided to give it one more shot but still, I broke out no matter how nice the finish is and regardless of how long it stays on my oily skin.


The Top 14 Best Purchases of 2009:

1. NARS Blushes
- Being a blush girl, I do not and I don't think I will ever regret buying NARS blushes as these are a few of the best investments I made when it comes to make up. The product is so worth it for the price.


2. Kryolan TV Paint Stick
- The only foundation in a non-powder form that really works for me. Didn't break me out and for PHP1250, I could never go wrong. Beats all the powder foundation I have when it comes to staying power and its ability to conceal my blemishes.


3. Kryolan Anti-Shine Powder
- This kicked MAC Blot's behind when it comes to keeping oilies at bay. You get so much product (30g) for only PHP1350 which will most likely last you for years.


4. Chanel Joues Contraste and Irreelle blushes
- The most I had to spend on a single compact of blush but definitely worth it as Irrelle In Love is my current HG blush.


5. Saizen Charcoal Mask
- Made such raves and became one of the most wanted products in girltalk that it was always out of stock on the first and second waves of raves. Now, there is a lot of stocks at Saizen so feel free to go there and grab a tube or two.


6. PureDerm Strawberry Yogurt Pack & Dual Wellbeing Pack
- Inexpensive yet very effective products. These two are now officially part of my favorite products.


7. MAC 187 and 188 brushes
- MAC 187 haunted me in my dreams and I knew then that I had to have this brush. The most expensive single product I have purchased so far for PHP2950 back then and PHP3050 now, if I remember correctly. Very versatile as this can be used on foundations, powders, and best of all, blushes. :P
MAC 188 is the smaller version of 187 and I use it only for blushes and is priced at PHP2050.


8. Etude House stippling brush
- The most abused brush in my brush stash. Made my 188 and 187 kept in the brush box as I use this pretty much on everything. Works best with NARS blushes.


9. ELF Studio Contouring Blush & Bronzer Duo
- Because of this, I don't have to buy a NARS Orgasm/Laguna duo. Cheap yet a good product.


10. MAC Tinted Lip Conditioner - Gentle Coral
- This has to be my favorite tinted lip balm and is now my HG lip balm. I use this more than I use lipsticks and lip glosses. I use it every single day.


11. MAC Amplified Creme lipstick in Cosmo.
- This has to be my best nude-pink lippie ever! :P


12. EcoTools Brushes
- Talk about cheap with good quality and eco-friendly tools.


13. Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap
- My best friend in deep cleaning my brushes. Makes brush cleaning easy as a breeze.


14. BRAGG Apple Cider Vinegar
- The best and cheapest toner I have tried. Not the best smelling product though. Smells like Tequila.



* I would've also added Aztec Indian Healing Clay as one of the best prods but I have not purchased one as I am using the sample I received form Japjap. :P*

So there you are. My best and worst picks in 2009. I would've added more but I can certainly go on and on and on and this might be a very long post if I do. Plus I already forgot everything that I purchased this year.

Happy New Year, everyone. Wishing you all the best for 2010!

xoxo,


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Product Review: ETUDE House Model Face Color # 5 Blush

This is my last blush acquisition for 2009. It has been a long time since I purchased a blush so when I saw this, I knew I had to get it. This blush reminds me so much of NARS Deep Throat. Even when applied on my cheeks, it looks a lot like Deep Throat sans the shimmer. So I am going to do a little review on this blush now that I have a lot of time in my hands to blog since I won't be going back to work until Tuesday.

These 2 Etude goodies work well together.

Pros:
- This blush is a very pretty pink-peach shade with shimmers to it that sort of resembles NARS Deep Throat. And it does look like Deep Throat when applied.
- The scent is not too strong and it smells like perfume which I like because my nose can tolerate the scent.
- It is priced at PHP248 for 4g of product. The cheapest among the blushes from Elianto, Skinfood, Laneige, and The Face Shop.
- Lasting power is prett decent, stayed on my cheeks for 3-4 hours despite the humidity of the weather and having oily skin.
- Quite pigmented and not bad for the price.
- Now locally available at Etude House in Megamall.


Cons:

- Not so finely milled, a little powdery. When I dab my Etude House stippling brush, I see a lot of powder at the sides of the compact and product gets wasted.
- There are tiny chunks of sparkles which won't be a good thing for those who don't dig the shimmers of NARS Orgasm and Super Orgasm.

Overall rating: 3.75/5
Will I buy again? I am seriously considering getting a back up of this blush.

Tip: For those who wants NARS Deep Throat but do not want to spend that money for one blush, you may want to consider getting this blush as this seriously looks like Deep Throat on my cheeks.

Etude Baby in between NARS Orgasm and Deep Throat

It looks more similar to Deep Throat, right?

See what I mean?

Swatch:

Have a great weekend, everyone! Ta! :P

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ETUDE House + Saizen Purchases

Wow, I miss posting hauls and purchases here. I haven't bought any make up in more than a month now and I only bought 1 NYX lipstick last week. When I read that ETUDE HOUSE is finally in Megamall, I got excited because their products look really cute. And finally, no need to do pre-orders and play the waiting game. I dragged a colleague along with me and it took us a while to find its location. I now remember the reason why I hate Megamall - I get lost and it is always jampacked that I get dizzy and feels like I want to throw up. But in the name of kikay, I went there. :P




Initially, I was so excited that my heart leapt when we finally found the store. But I was disappointed when I was actually inside and browsing the products. The space was too small you cannot enjoy exploring and checking out the products without bumping into someone else's shoulder. The SA's are nice but they really weren't trained regarding the products. As I was checking out the Happy Tea Time cleansers, I noticed there were 4 variants and I asked the SA what the differences are between the 4 (I think). She onlt said the scent is the only difference among those 4. I'm pretty sure it wasn;t just for the scent but there has to be something else. I'm not pretending to be a know-it-all but if there is really no difference at all, feel free to let me know. But the store was cute overall. The pink tiny baskets are really cute too. There are so many products but I grabbed only two:

1. Happy Tea Time Milk Tea Cleansing Foam - PHP148
2. Model Face Color #5 (blush) - PHP248



Of course, I have to go home with a blush. Maybe next time, I will buy other products when the Christmas season is over. :)

After Megamall, we headed to Galleria and went to Saizen where I grabbed a tube of charcoal masque (my colleague grabbed 3) and I was lucky to spot one Nose Shadow (for nose contouring).



It wasn't much of a Christmas shopping tonight and I am dead beat. Overall, I am happy with my purchases. It isn't much but nothing beats buying something after a long time of not buying anything.

I gotta go now, I'm really tired. :P

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Product Review: Etude House Dual Fibre Cheek Brush (Glow)

Time to review the Etude House Dual Fibre Cheek Brush. Been using it for a couple of days straight so I can give it a detailed review.






Pros:
- Short-handled, very handy and can easily fit in any purse.
- Reminds me of MAC 187SE, only cuter.
- This brush is perfect for blushes, works even better with NARS blushes.
- It doesn't pick up too much pigment like MAC skunk brushes do so it won't be easy to overdo your blush.
- Cheap at PHP535 for the pre-order price.
- Has a sleeve? Protects the bristles from getting deformed. (Mine's a little too loose, dunno about the others)
- Did not bleed when I washed it twice.
- Shedding's not bad at all. Lost just a couple of tiny hairs and that's it.
- Bristles are soft and not scratchy at all. Unless of course you let the black hair touch your skin which isn't supposed to be done anyway.



Cons:
- Not locally available. I do hope Etude House will branch out in Manila soon.

Here are a couple of pictures comparing it with MAC 187 and MAC 188.



This brush is denser than 188. I find this brush almost as soft as MAC's,

Will I buy again? Yes, if I need to replace this one or if I lose it (which, I hope won't happen).

Overall rating? 5/5. :P

==================================================================

I went to an interview last night. Recruitment hours are odd, from 9pm-3am. I underwent lotsa essay exams which included a sample email and a sample food review. And an impromptu story telling during the interview. I also had a typing test and I have lost my typing mojo. From 86wpm with 99% accuracy, it went down to 53wpm with 97% accuracy. Sucks! Anyway, after the interview, I was told to wait at the lobby for the results from the Human Resources Department. After almost an hour of waiting, 3 of us who were done with the interview received 3 letters. Usually, getting letters means bad news. When I opened the letter, it has the word CONGRATULATIONS! It also said that the results are generally favorable and I am short-listed and being considered for the post. Yey! I will be receiving a call for the scheduled final assessment and possible job offer. I hope I get hired. The job would have something to do with make up. ;) Wish me luck! I was praying to pass the screening process and I did. Now I've got one last step to pass and I'm cool with them. :) Thank God.

I hope you're all having a great weekend. :P I am having a great weekend so far as I just bought a Benefit Coralista blush on eBay. I had to check each seller and item location to avoid receiving a fake item. I found a power seller located in CA, USA and my instincts were telling me she's the real deal. I was super hesitant from the sellers in HK and China because their feedback included at least one or two stating that the items they received are fake. Yey! I am so excited. Now I have to wait 2 weeks to receive it but it'll be worth the wait. :) Plus I got the item for only $18.99 and added $4 for shipping and handling. Not bad, right? :P

WOOT: My mom had a sudden thought. Maybe writing is really for me. I was choosing between Behavioral Science and Journalism back then and I chose the former because my family doesn't want me to take up the latter. But now she realized maybe that's what I'm meant to do and said maybe I should do freelance writing. I dunno. Maybe. Maybe not.

Ta!

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Etude House Dual Fibre Cheek Brush (Glow) and freebies

The raved Etude House Dual Fibre Cheek Brush arrived early this morning. Of course, it was delivered by the new snotty grumpy rider. I was the very first one that received delivery for this day from him. :P

The brush is so cute with the pink Etude House logo. :) The bristles are bigger than MAC 188 and denser, only the handle is shorter. I got it for PHP535. It came with a lot of freebies, thanks to babyjapnurse from GT.

See the cute logo? :P

The freebies!

I can't wait for the brush to dry and use it! Will review the brush soon. :)

Good morning y'all! :P

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