Month: October 2013

On samples and GWPs

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I’ve been thinking about samples and GWPs (Gifts With Purchase) and it made me wonder if you were more likely to buy something if you knew you would be getting something you might want along with it, for free. I wasn’t really ever a sample-hungry person. Often, I found the sachets a nuisance I wouldn’t even bother opening. Fast forward to today, when I carefully tear open a small hole in sachets so I can use them sparingly if it turned out to be a good product, or scramble to find a small empty pot I could decant some product into so I could savor it. I wasn’t really one for that kind of thing, until I wanted to try anything and everything. Personally, I just get extra frilly feelings if I know I’m going home with a buttload of samples to try out after dropping a lot of dough. I don’t usually let it drive me to make a purchase, though recently, my Sephora birthday purchase was inspired by the birthday GWP. I’ve always …

Stylenanda 3 CONCEPT EYES Lip Lacquer in Pink Boom*

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Hey everyone! I talked about being part of this round of bntgirls (more of that here), and as part of that, we were given a box of Korean treats to use and review throughout the month. I’ll have them up in trickles, but for now, I will talk about a pretty bright lip lacquer by a brand I’ve been intrigued by, since I saw it on Wiji’s post—3 Concept Eyes! Check out the color on this! My mom and my sister saw the box and both of them said, “Is that really the color of the lipstick?” It’s so bright! Lip Lacquers are typically pretty close in texture, consistency, and make as liquid lipsticks. A few formulas that are similar include the Guerlain Rouge G L’Extrait, the Rimmel Apocalips/Show Off Lip Lacquers, the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams, and the Shiseido Lacquer Rouge. Simply, they are very opaque lip products, with the pigmentation of a lipstick, but in the form of a gloss. There are many little differences as well, but that’s just a very …

Stash Shopping No. 7

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It’s been a while! I tended to grab “easy” makeup and not bother with a lot of the items I picked out from my stash, so I didn’t want to bother with this for the past few weeks. But I want to do something more “stable” again, I guess. I really like having my stuff in rotation, generally, so this is a pretty OK arrangement for me, to be honest. For this week’s edition of stash shopping, I only picked out a few products I already have, since I’m testing out quite a few new products this week. 🙂 In line for Carina Abuse are the ff: EYES: Suqqu Quad (Sumiredama), Urban Decay Primer Potion (Sin) CHEEKS: NARS Powder Blush (Sin) LIPS: Snoe Beauty (Plum Crazy), shu uemura x Karl Lagerfeld (Luxe Burgundy), OCC Lip Tar (Strumpet) Lots of purples in store for me this week! What forgotten products are you trying out more this week? Do share! 🙂

Le Métier de Beauté Beauty Vault VIP: September 2013 Box

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Surprise! So it turns out I was going to be getting this subscription box, lol. Le Métier de Beauté opened their subs up again and sneaky Sarie got one for me as an early birthday present. UM. AWESOME? Because it was a late subscription, I got the September box first. Here’s what I got! Two True Colour Crème Eye Shadows in Starry Night and Champagne Shimmer. According to the card it came with, True Colour Crème Eye Shadows are “long-wearing, waterproof and resistant to settling into creases. This hydrating, smooth-as-silk formula is incredibly easy to apply and even easier to admire.” Champagne Shimmer: “Use as a hydrating, all-over radiance-enhancing highlighter. Beautiful under the eyebrow, over the cheeks, as well as on the eyelid. Can be used as an eye shadow primer.” Starry Night: “Create a mysterious starry night effect with this smokey crème shadow by applying a thin coat over daytime eye shadows. Perfect for transitioning an afternoon look into an exciting evening visage. Can also be used as a smoky base before layering powder …

Unboxing Preview: My first bntgirls Mission

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I keep posting things that I don’t mean to post until later, but what can you do? Anyway… Hello, everyone! About two weeks ago, I received word that I was accepted into the second round of bntgirls, which is bntnews’ global beauty editors group! bntnews is a huge K-pop news portal based in the UK, with editors and writers spanning several countries, and now, including the Philippines. 🙂 Each month, we get missions and I’m so excited to get them done! The first bntgirls mission is to review the contents of this first beautybox. I was going to go right into it and not even do an unboxing, but then I changed my mind. Here’s a preview of some of the reviews to look forward to this month—and then some! 🙂 I first heard about the beautybox from Tellie of Beauty by Tellie. I posted an Instagram photo (follow me on @presidents) of me wearing the Stylenanda 3CE Lip Lacquer and it held up pretty well today. I was out from 11am to 10pm. I’m …

TAG: If All My Makeup Disappeared Tomorrow

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Hey everyone! Here’s just a short video of a tag that I saw going around on essiebutton’s and abb3rz07’s channels, and basically I list down stuff that I would repurchase, in a heartbeat, if all my makeup disappeared tomorrow. The technicalities of the disappearance are not important, just the products! Sorry about the random hair on my face! I do not really notice things like that. What about you? What are ten products you would repurchase if you had to start from scratch?

Nosy Beauty Vol. 14: Laura

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Hello everyone! For this week’s installment of Nosy Beauty, we have Laura! I met her on LiveJournal when I was in high school (!) and I knew her from her photography and cute comics. Many, many years later, I discovered that she loved makeup but I never really thought twice about it until after I got into makeup, too. Here’s a peek into her makeup bag and quite a bit of her somewhat-daily staples. Enjoy! “Hello, my name is Laura, and I am currently a makeup artist working for MAC Cosmetics. My other passions include arting, photography, and more recently science (especially astrophysics!) and writing. I love reading, watching a good movie or show, and cats. My partner Phil and I are definitely cat obsessed!” On Laura’s face, a casual Look: Bare Study paintpot and Extended Play mascara on eyes, Coquette in the brows, Select Moisturecover and Studio Fix Powder, Fleur Power on cheeks, Tarte’s Hope and MAC’s Lip Conditioner on lips. *Disclaimer: You’ll notice that 99% of my makeup is from MAC. Aside from …