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Unboxing: BDJ Box for April 2014*

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BDJ Box - April - Pixy - Box Sleeve

On Saturday morning, I woke up to a super surprise from the BDJ Box team! They sweetly sent me April’s massive box to try out. BDJ Box is one of the country’s leading subscription boxes for beauty-lovers. I think they probably have the best record for hitting home runs with their boxes, in terms of both value and excitement.

If you’re a subscriber, you’ve probably already seen—and loved—the stuff inside, but if you’re a speculator, check out this unboxing post to see what you missed this round.

BDJ Box - April - Pixy - Inside

Pixy is an Indonesian makeup brand that’s new to the Philippine market. Its tagline, Truly Asian Beauty drives straight to the point of their brand—products that are especially formulated for Asian skin. Read More

FOTD: I Wore Carrots Out

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Riviera Face

& I got a haircut.

Ooooh! Aaaah! I don’t know how I feel about it yet, but I mostly like it? Gotta figure out how to wear it, though. The top knot, I realize now, is the ultimate lazy girl hairstyle, and I’ve relinquished my lazy shortcuts by cutting. my. hair. AHHH.

Ahem. So the lipstick. I actually wore an orange-y lipstick out. I can’t explain it; I got the urge to do it, so I did! And guess what? It wasn’t the end of the world. Imagine that. Phew.

(It is Le Métier de Beauté’s Colour Core Moisture Stain Lipstick in Riviera.)

I have this weird “aversion” to oranges. Even warm reds scare the bejesus out of me. The rest of my face is just a serum, a loose foundation, bronzer, eyebrows, a cream shadow, and liner.

What can I say? I was rushing out of the house. I guess that made me just bite the bullet and go for the orange. I think I mostly like it, too?

What’s one lipstick color you don’t think you can pull off? Maybe try it one of these days. 🙂

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My Spring/Summer Makeup Base

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Most days, I like to keep it light already, but as the hotter weather rolls around, cutting down products becomes serious business. Before I broiled in the heat of the sun, I used to be able to just go out in concealer and a finishing powder, but the sun’s rays have a way of bringing out SPF-induced paranoia.

My priority is great sun protection for the face. I picked this up in Japan—the Suncut Water in UV Protect Essence—but it’s essentially a water-based face sunscreen with SPF 50+ PA++++. It dries down really well, which is great because I hate feeling gunky in the summer heat. That’s my spring skin care tip, too—don’t forget the sunscreen!

I go in with my concealer (NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Ginger), which I set with a powder (Le Métier de Beauté Eye Brightening and Setting Powder in Refresh). The problem with the sunscreen is that it leaves the skin a little greasy-looking. That’s when I go in with a light layer of mineral foundation (Ellana Minerals Loose Foundation in Caramel Latte).

I never feel quite as done as when I brush a finishing powder all over my base. One of my favorites to use in these sunnier months is the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Luminous Light.

Then, I like to keep the rest of my makeup pretty simple. I’m pretty into the idea of bright lips right now, for some reason. Sometimes it scares me how much my brain gives in to the power of suggestion. Darn you, trend-makers!

What’s your spring/summer makeup base like?

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Notoriously Morbid Beauty Blogger Package & Then Some

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One of the stragglers from my indie makeup frenzy back in January. I was able to retrieve this package when I got back from my trip, which was late March. Currently, I think I have most of my orders from that time. I’m just missing one package from Victorian Disco, which I hope to get soon.

Notoriously Morbid Beauty Blogger Package

I availed of the Beauty Blogger Package (5 samples + 1 mini jar) and got myself a few other samples, too. NM included a few free samples and a Jolly Rancher pink lemonade lollipop. It was delicious. Read More

A Taste of THREE

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Three - Eye Stuff

One of the Japanese beauty brands I was really keen on trying was THREE. After seeing various posts by Kate, Selphia, and Belly on the eyehadow duos and quads—which, as you all know, are my weakness—I made it my mission to stop by a counter on my trip.

By the way, photos from said trip to the land of the rising sun are on my “real” blog, which I use for non-beauty crapola.

I ended up getting two THREE Pressed Eye Color Palette Duos, both of which weren’t the ones I intended to get.

THREE - Eyeshadow Duo - Love Connection, Let the Happiness In

02 Love Connection is made of gold peach and red brown. 07 Let the Happiness In is one of the newer duos, consisting of a soft mauve purple and a light brown.

The duos are intended to be used in conjunction with each other, as their own shades or layered, creating a “natural three-dimensional impression.” In other words, they are subtle as fuck, but the effect also transforms your eye without anyone really noticing. Which is what I usually like to wear anyway. (I like it when people say my eye makeup is good, though. HA.) Read More

Sleek Blush in Coral 933

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Sleek Blush - Coral - Pan

I got this beautiful Sleek blush from my swap with Laala a few months ago. It is a beautiful coral (aptly named Coral 933) and is perfect for the summer, which is actually more appropriate to call this heat we are weathering in a Manila. I’ve faced it a long time ago—we don’t get spring here. Read More

Traveling: What I Brought Along vs. What I Should Have Brought Instead

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I have always been an overpacker. As a child, I would tote incredibly heavy bags filled with shit I didn’t need. I used to carry a DSLR, a laptop, and all my books and notebooks to school as a college freshman. Over time, I’ve learned to take only the essentials with me (usually), and on my last trip to Japan, which happened about two weeks ago, I thought I did a great job of streamlining everything—at least, when it came to my makeup bits.

What I Brought Along - Makeup

I didn’t want to deal with a proper base, so aside from my moisturizer, I brought along the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer (review), which I’ve been setting with the Le Métier de Beauté Eye Brightening and Setting Powder (review). I’ve also got a small bottle of the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer (review) and the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder Palette (review) for the rest of my face.

For eyes, I’ve got my MAC Paint Pot in Groundwork, the NARS NARSissist Eyeshadow Palette (review), and the Le Métier de Beauté Anamorphic Lash Mascara (review). For brows, I’ve got the K-Palette Real Lasting Eyebrow Pen, and for eyeliner, I brought along two options: the Happy Skin Eye Am Here To Stay (review) and Graymelin Control Sharp Liner (review).

For blush/lips, I’ve got two Addiction Cheek Sticks, in Tea Rose (review) and Revenge (review). Also for the lips, I’ve got the Dior Addict Lip Glow.

For tools, I’ve got a face brush and three eye brushes.

I was delusional when I thought this was streamlined, obviously.

After the experience, I kind of know what to cut out and what to leave in the bag, should I travel again with similar circumstances. Here’s the new and improved list o’ stuff:

Streamlined Makeup

— Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer
— Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder Palette
— NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer
— Le Métier de Beauté Anamorphic Lash Mascara
— MAC Paint Pot in Groundwork
— NARS Eyeshadow Duo in Charade
— K-Palette Real Lasting Eyebrow
— Addiction Cheek Stick in Tea Rose
— Dior Addict Lip Glow
— Hakuhodo powder brush

I think this would be way more manageable and definitely enough to put on a “decent generic face” everyday on a trip away from home. To be honest, there was a day that I gave up on makeup altogether, so it’s not like it was high on my list of priorities.

What’s your beauty travel bag like? Do you end up not even using stuff you brought along?

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