Product: Happy New Things! Etude Precious Mineral BB + Princessy Stuff

Happy new year, everyone!
I sincerely hope that everyone is having a really good 1st of the month of the new year, because I sure am :D

It's the time of the year when everything feels really fresh and new! A clean slate for the new year, as they all say. So today I'm going to post about what are the good, new things I have make-up and skincare wise.

First up, I've finally purchased an Etude Precious Mineral BB cream

Precious Mineral BB Cream from Etude which has SPF! Will my Kose Sunscreen become redundant? 

Priced at around PHP700-PHP800. I commonly use BB cream or foundation whenever there's a special event, or if there's anything that I'd like to correct i.e. pimple spots or scar spots, or a darkening undereye area :( Instead of a concealer, I'd rather really choose a liquid foundation/bb cream to cover the spots because it's easier to blend, and I felt like I don't look so weird if I use this because it's close to my skin color. :)

A couple of days ago I also bought a really really superbly cute powder container for only PHP149! It is my second purchase and was quite a steal, because it certainly looked realllllyyy good for its price. I have quite a bit of refill powders from random compacts so I strained the powder to make it finely milled enough to house in this princessy container.

So far, my 2013 is looking good, literally! :D

I'll update more on the BB cream and also I have a skincare/makeup stash update for all of you soon so do come back.

Thanks for reading!

Tag: Why do you wear makeup?

Hello! Finally, a skincare and makeup related post eh?
Got this Blog Tag from kmmyp on Google Reader :)

Recently, I've been attending Christmas parties left and right. And what usually happens with these kind of parties is more often than not you are obliged to dress up. Company parties, business party get-togethers, that kind of stuff. It did get me thinking that I still suck at putting makeup on.

(1) When did you begin loving make-up?
I started being interested in makeup mid 2009, when I was having a rough patch about myself and how I looked. I realized that I was the only one holding back on improving myself in the looks department. I used to think that only the inside counts. I still believe that now, but there's also no harm in making myself go the extra mile! I don't really love make-up per se, but it is an impressive tool in making me look decent for parties and formal events! Because on a daily basis, I put my sunscreen on and that's it.

Bare face, everyday, all day

Apparently, eating choco bars and drinking almond milk are but a few of my hobbies that take up my time

 The first was on 2011. This was heavy makeup for me. Consisting of a face base, loose powder, blush, eyeliner, and eyeshadow! The second picture was just recently taken (last week's company Christmas party) and I realized that this was pretty light, compared to the makeup jobs some of my coworker had XDD But I like it enough because it changes my face without having to go to a dramatic transformation.

(2) How do you feel without make-up?
I feel absolutely fine. I wear no makeup on a daily basis except for a very pigmented lip balm.

(3) What do you like about make-up?
I'm not huge into it but I would like to be. It's nice to learn useful stuff like this, as event makeup artistry is a lucrative freelance job for some people! On a personal note, I like it when eyeliners define my eyes. I like it when the skin on my face looks really smooth and fine with a face base. I like it when my cheeks have a peachy color. You know, the whole shebang.

(4) What are your three of your holy grail make-up items?

 Majolica Majorca Eyliner, The Face Shop Liptint, Majolica Majorca Face base

If you're feeling like jumping on this nifty bandwagon, feel free to do so! If you have time, comment on this post with your responses or leave a link to your blog below so I can read yours, too :D

Product: Jill Stuart Mix Blush vs. Sivanna Colors Blush

Today I went to the mall and somehow I managed to go to this little boutique and something caught my eye. I saw on a stand this very familiar blush-on!

The brand of the blush is SIVANNA COLORS. It is a very dainty blush with etched shells design. It looks very nice, shiny and all too reminiscent of a certain expensive packaging, except for the rather plain brand text. Can you guess what the packaging looks like????

 

YEP!
It looks like a Jill Stuart Mix Blush Compact packaging!

Though without the beautiful brush chained to it. This blush is one of the high-end and holy grail blushes of the many beauty gurus that I look up to, so I couldn't help but want it myself. 

The only thing that prevents me from buying Jill Stuart cosmetics is because of is $$$$$$ price! This one is so pricey for a single item. It is about $48-$52 depending on where you buy it. Though a lot of girls just buy it for the princessy packaging which is so delightful, but some love its very girly though sheer application.

The Sivanna Colors one looks like its mousy counterpart, but you can tell that this is a knock-off of the Jill Stuart brand. Even the mix blush with the different shades of pink, peach and corals are reminiscent of one of the type of the JS Mix blush.

I bought it because I thought it was really funny, though I wouldn't ever think of using this for fear of what this blush powder may contain!!!

Sivanna Colors Blush

Image credit from PinkHeartedPrincess.

Though the JS Mix Blush compact is in my wishlist, I'm not that desperate to use a knock off of this! I want the real one.

I can't imagine using the SIVANNA COLORS one. We don't know what's in that and where it is made from. I wish the brand company didn't have to steal the design of the JS one. They should have innovated their own, maybe it can even catapult in the industry. Imitation is never good in business, it keeps you eating dust.

There doesn't seem to be news of Fake Jill Stuart, but I'm not surprised why there's Knock offs of this from other less know brands. JS is a very popular name, and the products is well loved by many.

Life: February Brings About A Desire For Change

The start of the new year has given me so much and taken away quite a lot. This is in reference to my self and things around me affected by the changes that has made me scramble, rethink and rearrange my life accordingly!

A life update for those who care:

* I have completed building my own room! Yes! After living for so long sharing room and board with some family members in one bedroom, their messes vs. my sense for organization, some of my sisters using my products and constant running out of products I like, etcetera!

* I am returning back to my video and photography roots.

* Getting promoted at work ;)

* Pursuing my graphic art/drawing with digital drawings (I only used to do traditional, sketches and colored pencils and all that stuff)

* Loving myself despite my imperfections but learning how to highlight what I have!

<3 <3 <3

But that doesn't mean I will stop trying to better myself and find things to discover as I go along. I am very much into skincare still, and I'm not done practicing makeup yet hahahah! I'm not very good at it even until now. I can't practice as much because I don't get a lot of avenues/events where I am asked to be extra girly.

Below is today's makeup I did, when I went out to treat my family out to ice cream.

It's still not very good, huh?
I can't do nor wear dramatic eye makeup at all. I was doing the best I can D:


On a happier note: Here's us on my PROJECT 365 :) Taken today it's DAY 43, my family and Mike (le Boyfrénd) and also my close friend, Dan not in picture because he's the one who took this nifty picture of us:

A lot of new things are in store! From here on out I am not just going to limit myself on beauty products, but more on organic skin care and DIY, graphic design and life, love, books and rocking it out as a career girl and all the good things in between.

This chapter in my life makes me feel like nothing is missing. I am at a very happy place right now!
I hope you stay tuned!

Tony Moly Pink Beam Crystal Highlighter

Hi everyone!

Here again to feature a new make up item, just to get out of the skincare-centric posts my blog seems to be infested of lately :D

I'd like to introduce a product from one of the Korean beauty brandsTony Moly ,Pink Beam Crystal Highlighter.

It's straight-up just a simple highlighter enclosed in a pretty and shiny bottle. I have a couple swatches for you to view, but I have to point out one crazy thing, though. It is marketed and named as a PINK highlighter, but it's weird since when you blend it all in, there isn't really any pink pigment left. It turns white, like any normal highlighter, with just a really pretty sheen.

Swiped for swatching (not yet blended)

I don't want to say has glitter on it, since upon application and blending there's nothing glittery about it. And even if it has glitter, it's so fine that a couple of blending strokes wouldn't correct. Here is what the highlighter looks with 2-3 blending strokes:

It's not recommended to apply the product directly from the applicator to your skin, so just apply it on the back of your hand or something (sanitize first though!) so you'll have a lot less trouble balancing the highlight.

I really like this highlighter more on the fact that it's not powdery like other highlighters I've tested. My face is oily, but once my face is made up it's dry so this is a great addition for a really pretty dewy look! I'm not too keen on using powder highlighters, so do tell me what do you use! :)

That's all for today! Thank you so much for reading!

Majolica Majorca Puff de Cheek and Etc!

My sister and two of my nieces flew to Japan for their vacation, and judging from the pictures they were having such a blast! I'm glad they got to enjoy their time there,
sightseeing and most of all eating a lot.

They arrived just last week and they bought a lot of chocolates and stuffed toys, things that normal girls would find very thrilling, but they also bought me Majolica Majorca, one of my first product from the Spring release!

I've always always wanted it and it's so cute that my nieces bought this for me!!! I now have the Majolica Majorca Puff de Cheek! Hahah so they know how much I love this brand. And I am all the more grateful that they chose a blush-on! If you remember the My Wishlist is Blushing post, I have no blushers until today.

The Puff de Cheek in PK301 "Peach Macaron" is the most beautiful peach blusher I have ever seen. It's not very evident in my photos since I've resized them but it has finely-grounded powder with a pretty peach color and very light glitter! Just very light, enough to catch light and reflect a bit back for that nice glow.

It has a pretty little puff to complete with a bow. It is so soft and so very pretty! I can't stand to use it yet so I used the Ellana Minerals mini kabuki brush. I really love this. My collection is growing slowly and I treasure each and every one of them.

Aside from the Puff de Cheek, they also bought some loots from the Hakyen Shop, a UV Lip cream with Collagen and another blush on! Now I've got two! From zero to many! :)

I thank my little nieces for thinking of me even though they were so far away! And thank you to you for reading! ^______^

VOV Castledew Eyeshadow Palette

I've always wanted an eyeshadow palette though I'm not sure if eyeshadows are my thing. I just love Castledew because it's so princessy and shiny and jewel-like and perfect.

A Castle dew eyeshadow palette in all its shiny pretty glory! This is available in the La Core stall (korean beauty shop). Every time I passed by their stall, I always ask to view the palette and I always jump up and down in delight when I see it. Now I have it! MUAHAHAHA!

I'll try to play around with the colors! See you!