Month: November 2012

My First Tube of MAC Viva Glam: Viva Glam V

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I only have one other MAC lipstick other than this recent purchase (a pretty nude-y, creamy one called Jubilee) because I can’t stand the smell of vanilla. Also, MAC seems to be the brand of which people have all sorts of opinion. I rely a lot on reviews, and I can’t go into a MAC store and just swatch things. I have to know what I’m going to try before I go there. It took me eons to decide on Jubilee and I wasn’t about to let that happen again. MAC Viva Glam V was brought to my attention by the Lipstick Bandits, for their “Universally Flattering” edition. Prior to this discovery, I had strangely assumed that all the lipsticks from the Viva Glam line were either red or bold. Viva Glam V is a soft pearly pink with a lustre finish. It’s more glossy (but not lipgloss-levels) than shimmery, which is what I feel like sets it apart from an MLBB find I had, NARS Pago Pago, which is on the very glittery side. …

Make That Face: Basic Neutral (Shimmery) Eye

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Okay, so every time I feel stress creeping up on me, I turn to my beauty blog and think of something that I can post. You know, to de-stress and to avail of its strangely therapeutic effects. (Have you tried blogging? It’s very relaxing.) I thought of doing a step-by-step tutorial, just because I want to practice and also because you guys seem to like that! I noticed that a lot of people shy away from eye makeup, aside from the standard eyeliner and mascara, but you don’t have to be afraid anymore. Really, it’s one of the funnest parts of my routine. So, here’s an eyelook that I did, using only colors from theBalm’s Nude ‘Tude Palette, the brush it comes along with, as well as the eyeshadow brush from the RealTechniques Travel Essentials Set, which I just love so much. Because I wanted to play with the palette moreso than I usually did, I ended up using seven shades (I forgot to box Snobby!), most of which weren’t what I had been using …

Clean brushes with J&C!

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Apologies for the haphazard photos, but I had an urge to clean my brushes last night, when I got home from an event. Though cleaning my makeup brushes is usually therapeutic for me, it’s sometimes a real hassle to go through the ritualistic process. Especially late at night. I mean, I just want clean brushes! Is that too much to ask for? I discovered J&C Super Clean Solutions Makeup Brush Cleaner while perusing my favorite local beauty blogs, and decided to get one for myself. At Php 400 per 120ml bottle, it’s cheaper than its MAC ($14/235ml) or Clinique ($14/236ml) counterparts. So, when I got a hankering to clean my brushes, I figured I might as well show you how this works, too. The bottle has a spray nozzle, and a clear cap. For the smaller brushes, I used the cap as a dipping bowl, as was suggested by Liz. The scent—peppermint—is strong, but I quite like it. What I like about this method, is that it’s pretty klutz-proof. I am not good at keeping …

FOTD: Yabu MOA Launch

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Face of the Day and What I Wore To—the Yabu launch in Mall of Asia. You can read about the good food (read: new dishes!) here or over at Sarie’s blog. I wore this face for a work date, but retouched my eye makeup and reapplied my lipstick before heading on over to Yabu. The blush had faded noticeably after around four-and-a-half hours of wear. Decided against reapplying because I kinda like the flush it left. On my face: Face: Ahava Light Foundation (Medium/Light Sand), The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil Pore Minimiser Eyes: Benefit Lemon Aid, K-Palette Cover Control 0 Kuma Concealer (02 Yellow Beige), Guerlain Écrin 4 Coueleurs Eyeshadow (Turandot), The Body Shop Brow Kit, theBalm Nude ‘Tude (Sassy) as highlighter) Cheeks: NARS Blush (Sin) Lips: Karl Lagerfeld x Shu Uemura (Celebrity Beige)

Drugstore Finds: Maybelline Refined Wine Lipstick

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This is going to be a super quick post, as I’m in the middle of a frillion different things, but when my sister brought home this lipstick, I couldn’t not post about it! Last Sunday, she’d been eyeing a rich purple-y lipstick she swatched on herself, but didn’t end up getting it. I guess she was haunted by it because when she got home from getting her tennis racket gutted at the mall, she also came home with this! Refined Wine is part of Maybelline’s limited edition collection, The Jewels by Color Sensational. The Jewels features eight jewel-toned lipsticks that I can’t help but feel are perfect for the holidays. They also have a moisturizing aspect to them, due to the honey nectar in their formulation. She tried it out, loved it, and told me to give it a shot. Neither of us had really ventured out of the reds, pinks, and peaches in terms of lipsticks, so I was glad to oblige. Refined Wine is such a perfect name for this shade, a rich, …

Blush Crush: NARS Sin

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I’ve been a huge fan of NARS ever since I got a pan of Orgasm, arguably their most famous blush. I loved the peach-pink golden shimmer, even though it swatched super sparkly under the weird yellow lights of the NARS counter in Rustans Makati. I thought I didn’t need another blush in my life, but then as beauty nuts know, it’s so easy to switch obsessions on parts of the face. When I started this beauty blog, I couldn’t get enough of eyeshadow palettes. Before that, all I looked at was lipstick. Now, I find myself wandering into the uncharted territory of my face’s middle-regions, aka my cheeks! I got a mineral blush from Revlon (which I’ve yet to review), but it wasn’t enough to sate my rather special needs. I wanted a subtle plum that still warmed my face and brought a pretty glow to it. I didn’t want a harsh blush, but I still wanted the oddly pretty flush of pinched cheeks. I think I’ve met my match with NARS Sin. Like Orgasm, …

Zen Zest Diva Off!

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Last Saturday marked my first Softly Sometimes-related event, the Zen Zest Diva Off! Thank you to Zen Zest and Liz of Project Vanity for the invite! I was surprised but also really, really happy when I got it, since I’m so new to this “scene” of blogging. Here’s to more, hopefully! Before the Divas belted their way to victory, the Zen Zest team first introduced their line of Holiday Gift Sets. Melai of Style and Soul hosted the event, while firing off some questions for brand ambassador, Divine Lee, to answer. Sometimes, I really do have a hard time thinking of what to give some of my friends and relatives gifts that they’d appreciate but that will also fit my budget. Contrary to how spendy my nature may seem to the peoples of the Internet, I do think of all my purchases and Google reviews to the point of obsession before I flush my money down the toilet buy anything. While Divine talked about her personal experience with Zen Zest, I checked some of their …