Year: 2013

Sample Stash Sunday: AHAVA Time to Hydrate Essential Day Moisturizer*

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Here’s a quick review of the AHAVA Time to Hydrate Essential Day Moisturizer, which I got from the first BDJ Box Elite. This is supposed to kind of bring out the skin’s natural moisture, and allow it to gain back its natural glow. Ahava products are usually formulated with Dead Sea minerals, and this particular product “effectively replenishes, rehydrates, and recharges the skin.” I was super excited to try this out. It has a very nice consistency and spreads well and evenly. The best part about this moisturizer, though, is that it sinks into the skin very quickly, allowing you to do the rest of your face in the morning without waiting a long time. It’s a great moisturizer for the day time, also because it’s not at all heavy or too creamy. I was really pleasantly surprised because I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it was. Full size: 50ml, Php 1945. Sample size: 15ml, Php 448.50. AHAVA is cruelty-free. * I received this from the BDJ Box Team, but I am …

Big in Japan: Drugstore Finds, Part IV

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And we’ve come to the end of my Japanese Drugstore finds. Sorry this last part took a while. It’s mostly comprised of stuff I got my mom and sister. 🙂 Majolica Majorca Cream de Cheek in RD411 or Kiichigo/Raspberry Cream and RD310 or Coral Cream. These are liquid blushes I got my mama because she’d been eyeing them for a while. 🙂 They come in this packaging, which is like a frosted glass bottle that resembles a nail polish bottle, right down to the applicator: These seem really complicated to use, but they are honestly the easiest thing in the world. If you know how to apply the liquid highlighters, stains, and whatnot by Benefit, then you’d be a pro at this! First, you put a well-placed dot on your cheeks: This is a really pretty coral, and it’s called Coral Cream (RD310). This is the first and only one my mom has opened, so this is the only one you’ll see for now. 🙂 After placing the drop, blend it out quickly: And that’s …

Cleaning Up My Act: Cruelty-Free Facial Cleansers

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I’ve been slowly eliminating non Cruelty-Free products from my daily routine. I started by targeting my makeup, and I think I’ve been doing pretty well, though I’ve had a few slip-ups since making my pledge (I bought Maybelline Color Whispers). I realized that animal testing doesn’t stop at makeup. Facial cleansers are also a part of that. When Wiji pointed out that newer packaging of St. Ives neglected to include “Not Tested on Animals” as it always had, I was compelled to check my skin care, too. Apparently, they were acquired by Unilever, which is a company that tests on animals. I’m currently working through a large bottle of shu uemura’s cleansing oil, which is the best makeup remover I’ve tried, by far. I’m still looking for cruelty-free alternatives, but we have that little bit left from the bottle, as well as a few samples, to tide us over while we look for other makeup removers. Here are cruelty-free facial cleansers I’ve tried so far. Korres Milk Proteins Cleansing & Make-Up Remover Wipes I use …

May 2013 Favorites

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And we’ve come to this point again: my monthly favorites for May! 🙂 I have quite the collection of favorites here, which is awesome for diversification. Or something like that. Products mentioned: — MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study — MAC eyeshadow in Sable — MAC matte lipstick in Mehr — Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Luminous Light and Mood Light Favorite Lip Combinations this month: — Addiction Lip Crayon in Day Trip + Le Métier de Beauté Lip Crème in Crème Caramel — Maybelline ColorSensational Lipstick in Chestnut + Le Métier de Beauté Lip Crème in Café Crème Other favorites: — Vampire Weekend’s Modern Vampires in the City — The National’s Trouble Will Find Me — The Mindy Project — “These Days” by Jack Cheng — Trader Joe’s Spicy Chai Tea Latte Mix — Keith Haring iPhone case

Lipstick Week, Day 6 Reject: How to Make Your Lipstick Last Longer

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This was supposed to be a Day 6 post, I think, but then I wanted a space for my mauves and plums, so I was going to make it a “Lipstick Week Special,” but ended up being too swamped to put it up. Here are a few ways to make your lipstick last longer on your lips. 🙂 Obviously, it all still depends on your lipstick formulation. If it’s a glossy, sheer formula like the Revlon Lip Butters or the Chanel Rouge Coco Shines, then there isn’t really much you can do to prolong its wear. Still, it helps to prep your lips for a long day. 🙂 Make your Base Ace. What do I mean by this? Just prep your lips for a smooth ride. You can’t expect your lipstick to perform like a race car if the tracks are a craggy mess. Here are some tips for a great base: Exfoliate! This gets rid of dry flakes and creates a smooth base for your lipstick. You can buy a lip scrub (a good …

Made-Up History: Jean-Michel Basquiat’s “Cassius Clay,” 1982

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In this edition of Made-Up History, I’ll be talking about someone who is very dear to my heart. Jean-Michel Basquiat is my favorite artist. It’s really hard to pick one, but if I had to, it would be Basquiat. He started out as a street artist and he would tag his work (then, a collaborative venture with friend Al Diaz) with “SAMO,” which is a hypocoristic name for “Same Old Shit.” The Village Voice published a piece on some of their works. He graduated from street art and graffiti by 1979 and by 1980, he started showing some pieces in group shows. In 1981, a piece by Rene Ricard called “The Radiant Child” was published in Artforum Magazine, which brought him to the attention of the art scene. His works were provocative, a commentary on consumerism, popular culture, and cultural politics, and his style was a new take on primitivism. There were a lot of emerging modern artists in New York during this time, and he was one of the ones who shot up to …

Mini-Hauls: Le Métier de Beauté, Hourglass, Illamasqua, MAC

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Here is a collective haul, most of which are items that I will be reviewing for the next few weeks. Since going on the Makeup No Buy a few days ago, I’ve been seriously surveying my “collection” instead of looking for new things to buy. Here, I have things that I haven’t even tried out so much yet because I have such a huge backlog, still. I think that pretty much shows you how much I really needed to go on that ban. I pay for pretty much all of my cosmetics, except for a few sent here and there (trust me, there aren’t a lot of those), and I guess I just wanted my power over my own money back, if that makes any sense. I still do have some items coming to me, purchased before the ban. So it really won’t be so hard, I think. I just can’t purchase anything new for a while, and that’s OK. 🙂 I am iffy about posting hauls, though I do like watching them and reading …