Month: December 2012

Link Love: My favorite beauty posts this week (12/15)

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Here are some reads I enjoyed last week, in case you missed them! Hope they are useful for you. 🙂 The Basic Makeup Application Tutorial by Messy Wands Ask Temptalia: 2012 Edition Holiday Skincare Tips: How to Beautify Your Skin by Renee Rouleau on Temptalia Makeup Expiration: When to Get Rid of your Old Cosmetics by Project Vanity How to Sanitize Your Makeup by Project Vanity Evil Queen Makeup Inspired by Charlize Theron in Snow White & The Huntsman by My Funny Valentine A Holiday Party Eye Makeup Look with Purple, Bronze & Gold by Makeup and Beauty Blog Amanda & Anne’s Beauty Break down for Les Miserables Premiere by Christophe & Johnny Le Métier de Beauté Bauhaus Eye Kaleidoscope: Swatches & Review by Cogitation Project Mari Malek on Into the Gloss The Makeup: Sk8r Girl Sheila Marquez by Into the Gloss Fyrrinae Week Part I by Drivel About Frivol Step-by-Step Holiday Look 2 (purple gradient) by Nicole’s Beauty Blog Gift Ideas for Beauty Lovers by Phyrra And, from the week before, but still worth …

Makeup Starter Kit

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So, my friend Kat asked if I had a post on makeup products for people who are just starting out with makeup, and I thought, “Hey! That’s a cool idea,” so now here it is. Personally, my transition from buying n00b-friendly (that’s newbie-friendly to you!) products to more upscale and high-end ones wasn’t a long time… I was an obsessive beauty blog trawler before I became an obsessive makeup purchaser, but I think that’s OK because my decisions have been fairly educated thus far. Now, onto the post! I made a video for this, but of course I have a text-only breakdown of the products for those who don’t want to watch a video. I tried to make it fairly, short though. It’s just under 4 minutes. 🙂 I tried to just use drugstore brands and mid-range brands, because it’s a little nuts to buy high-end products if you’re just starting out and exploring options. However, I stand by my belief that you should always pick the best products for your face—especially when it comes …

FOTD: El Cirkulo

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FOTD + WIWT(o) a dinner at El Cirkulo! It was my first time eating there, so Sarie took the reins and ordered Beef Belly, Bone Marrow, and Paella Negra. Best beef belly I have tasted, as well as the best bone marrow. I have sampled the ones in Wildflour and Lusso, and El Cirkulo’s is so far the best I have tried. The bone marrow comes with a whole bone (shin? leg? I don’t really know) split in half, some yummy beef stew, toasted bread and some sea salt. You scoop a bit of the beef stew on to the toast, then top it off with a spoonful of bone marrow and a sprinkling of salt. Delicious. “The best beef belly in all the land.” — Sarie Cruz Mmm, food, get in my belleh! I wore my Degas ballerina necklace for the first time that day. 🙂 Sarie! 🙂 On our way to karaoke! Now, onto the makeup: I feel like this was when I decided to stop wearing foundation. On my eyes, it’s MAC …

Holiday Lip Idea: Revlon ColorBurst Lip Gloss in Bordeaux

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I’ve been super into not-quite lipsticks lately, so expect a barrage of reviews over the next few days. It’s a bit perfect, really, if you’re on the look-out for a great holiday lips, since I have been experimenting with darker shades. 🙂 Today, I have Revlon ColorBurst Lip Gloss in Bordeaux up for review, which I got on sale last Sunday. A pop of weightless color with vivid, mirror-like shine. Outshines everything but you! Micro-crystal formula for 5X the shine of patent leather Plush applicator shaped to curves of your lips for smooth, even application of colour ColorBurst’s Elasticolor™ technology for rich color with a weightless feel Moisturizers and anti-oxidants such as sweet almond oil and vitamin E conditions and improves lip texture Available in 15 vibrant, on-trend shades Bordeaux is a really pretty shade. I talked about “Bordeaux,” as in the color, a few entries back, when I reviewed the Prestigious Bordeaux Eye and Cheek Palette from the shu uemura x Karl Lagerfeld collection. It is, essentially, a wine red with a hint of …

Holiday Looks: Good Ol’ Red & Gold

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I wore this look one day while on vacation in Italy. I had only brought a NARS eyeshadow trio to use for a month (AH!) so when we came across cheap Italian brand, Kiko Milano, I wore a look that’s almost entirely made up of the products I had picked up in Venice. Featured are the Eyetech Look (automatic eyeshadow) in 03 Oro, or gold, and the Water Eyeshadow in 203 Borgogna, or Burgundy, a combination which pretty much screams “Holiday Look!” to me. Both eye products were bought on the cheap (especially cheap in Italy), but the quality is pretty good. On the cheeks is NARS Orgasm, aka the only blush I brought with me, and on the lips: another KIKO product, the Shiny Pearl Lipstick in 193 Beige Nudo. For this post, I decided to recreate the look and post the same eye with a different lip, more suited for holiday festivities. 🙂 Pardon the haphazardly way this look was “recreated.” By the time I had done enough work for me to not …

Plummy Days with Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Lip Color in Premier Plum

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Here’s one of the four Revlon lip products that I bought (on sale!) on Sunday. I know, I know, I should be on a makeup ban, but it hardly feels like it. To tell you the truth, I have been quite good… in the sense that I only buy cosmetics at a 30% markdown, and only if I had been meaning to buy them anyway. In fact, I had enough sense to say no to Maybelline’s Falsies Mascara, which I had seen Ingrid Nilsen of Miss Glamorazzi rave about endlessly—because it was a mainstay at Maybelline. Revlon in Manila also marks up their products to about twice what they would retail for in the States. “But really, Carina? Four?” Well, I never said I was perfect. Anyway. On to Premier Plum, which is a beautiful plum with strong pink undertones and gold microshimmers. In the tube, it looks like it has a slight pearly finish, but when it sets and dries on your lips, you’re left with a slight sheen and a fairly pigmented stain. …

FOTD: Tama na ang Drama

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FOTD and WIWT the launch of Ang Bandang Shirley’s newest album, Tama na ang Drama. Like I said, I’ve been staying away from foundation and tinted moisturizer. I don’t remember putting concealer, either. I used Benefit’s Lemon Aid as my primer. Eyes: Guerlain Écrin 4 Couleurs (Turandot), The Body Shop Brow Kit, Shu Uemura x Karl Lagerfeld Painting Liner (Blackish Satin Purple), Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Frame Plus 12 Cheeks: NARS Blush (Sin) Lips: (leftover) NARS Sheer Lipstick (Vendanges) In other news, I have found my lid condition, the reason for my frustration (aside from oiliness)—hooded lids! Shari from The Misty Mom blogged about it, and I said, “Ugh, so that’s my problem!” Hooded lids seem to be the enemy of eyeshadow, so now I’m looking for tips for hooded-lid makeup! 😦 Photos by Sarie, of course!