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Fusion Beauty Ultraflesh Shinebox*

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Not too long ago, I received an email from StrawberryNET, asking if I wanted to try out this product by Fusion Beauty. I hadn't heard of this brand before, but I figured that I had nothing to lose if I gave it a shot.

I was expecting a random product, but it turns out that this brand used to be carried in Sephora, before the founders sold it off and it basically faded into oblivion. It got a few glowing reviews from people like Charleston Girl of Best Things in Beauty.

Ultraflesh - Shinebox - Tiers

The Shinebox is a highlight and shimmer collection. “Now every angle is your angle. Day or night. Let no surface go unlit,” my box says. As you can see, there are 3 tiers of compartments, and all of them house a highlight of some sort. They all kind of swivel out, like a spiral staircase.

Ultraflesh - Shinebox - Enhancer Powder

The first tier has the “enhancer,” and is confusingly stamped with the word anyplace on the packaging. It's a powder highlight that gives a pretty warm glow. This is the closest one to my skin tone.

Ultraflesh - Shinebox - Cream Shimmers

The second tier houses two “all over highlighters,” which are cream products. One is more golden (stamped with anywhere) and the other is a bit of a rose gold (stamped with anytime). The shades are pretty thin-creamy, if that makes sense.

Ultraflesh - Shinebox - Highlighter Eyeliner

The third tier has tiny little pencils in them—the “all over shimmers” in the palette. The first one, a white, is called secret shimmer, and the other one, a rosy gold, is called nude shimmer. These are extremely small.

Ultraflesh - Shinebox - Swatches

Overall, the palette performs well, but I don't believe it's that portable or efficient. Who wears 3-5 highlighters all at once? This would have been such a nice full face kit.

Also, I'm a little confused at why this product was sent for testing, since the brand has (presumably) been off the radar for a while. It's on places like Amazon, but so far, no major beauty carriers or even buzz. Is this an attempt at a comeback?

In any case, I had a great time exploring this brand, as well as StrawberryNET. I know that a lot of beauty junkies used to buy their cosmetics there, in the days of yore. They have brands like NARS, By Terry, and Cle de Peau, aside from this brand that everyone seems to have forgotten.

* PR Sample. This post contains affiliate links.

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FOTD: Mauvelous Chestnuts

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One of my resolutions is to be bolder with makeup, so expect to see more FOTDs and makeup looks on here. 🙂 This isn’t exactly breaking walls or pushing boundaries, but I think it’s a step beyond the dreaded neutral comfort zone.

Le Métier de Beauté - Cheeky Chic - Electra and Ondine

I’m sure you have noticed that I tend to be ‘safe’ and ‘wearable’ when it comes to my makeup looks, even when I’m using colors like green or purple. I think it’s my lid space. My lid space is so tiny, you barely see anything when my eyes are open!

FACE: Snoe Beauty Let it B with WasaB BB Cream in Warm Honey, OCC Concealer in Y3, Le Métier de Beauté Eye Brightening and Setting Powder in Refresh.

CHEEKS: Le Métier de Beauté Kaleidoscope Face Kit in Cheeky Chic (used Ondine and Electra)

FOTD - Chestnuts Eyes

You can sorta see the ‘craziness’ up close.

EYES: MAC Paint Pot in Stormy Pink, bareMinerals Ginger Sugar, Velvet Mauve, and Toasted Espresso, Majolica Majorca Lash King.

EYEBROWS: The Body Shop Brow & Liner Kit in 02

LIPS: Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Chestnut, one of my depotting victims.

FOTD - Chestnuts Face

I kinda really like it! This look is easing towards spring, which might be annoying for some of you to read, seeing as it’s pretty cold still in other parts of the world. Here, it is pretty much hot 24/7 and when it’s not, it pours.

I’m so excited to try other looks! That sounds so dumb, considering how long I’ve been harboring this makeup obsession, but whatever. I’m ready for you, greens and blues!

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Le Métier de Beauté Beauty Vault VIP December Box: Kaleidoscope Face Kit in Cheeky Chic

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The December box of the Le Métier de Beauté Beauty Vault VIP subscription was a real treat. Their inaugural box already had a kaleidoscope, and although I got a lip kaleidoscope instead of an eye one, I wasn't expecting to see another kaleidoscope in this subscription, especially not this soon!

To recap: The Le Métier de Beauté Beauty Vault VIP* was a subscription launched in July 2013, as an all-in one-year subscription, paid upfront. Sign-ups were closed soon after and will open back up after this round is done, so around July 2014. The first box was sent in August 2013. So far, we have received excellent products in the first six months. I’ll post a different recap post when my January item gets here, although I already know what it is because I can’t stay away from spoilers!

Le Metier de Beaute - Kaleidoscope Face Kit - Cheeky Chic - Box

The items always come wonderfully packaged, and it is truly like opening a gift every time. In case you’re not familiar, Le Métier de Beauté Kaleidoscopes are their signature item: four-tiered “palettes” that are designed to work in conjunction with each other or layered on top of each other. There have been eye, lip, blush, and face kaleidoscopes, but I’ve also seen a few that are a combination. They usually retail for $95 each. Read More

Depot and Press: Loose Eyeshadows and Bulky Lipsticks

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One of my beauty resolutions and goals for 2014 was to press my pigments and depot bulky makeup. I’m a sucker for packaging so this is often very hard to do for me, but pigments and loose eyeshadows are often stored in little unattractive pots and baggies, so it hasn’t been particularly painful.

I won’t presume to know how to do this properly, so this isn’t really a tutorial but more of a “look what I did” post. If you want more information on pressing pigments and stuff, these are good resources:

Depot and Press - Materials

Materials: Basically, I just used empty 26mm pans (the same size as MAC eyeshadows), a presser, and a binder from TKB Trading. Their service is excellent, as are their products, but I just paid way too much for these. Just saying. Also, I used alcohol to mix the eyeshadows into a dough-type consistency, and several toothpicks to mix them all up.

Depot and Press - Pans

This is my makeshift palette, which is basically a container for pillboxes. I ordered another Wild Peach Palette (review here), though, so I’m excited about that. I pressed my Shiro Cosmetics samples and minis (swatched here, here, and here). Read More

A Trip to the Waxer: Wink Laser & Wax Studio*

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Hello from my terrible pun-maker & irresponsible self. Last weekend, I finally went for my long overdue waxing follow-up at Wink Laser & Wax Studio in Taguig. As with most things we mean to do/do sooner, things just got in the way.

Anyway, I first went back in October and had BOTH MY ENTIRE LEGS waxed. This time around, I opted for the half leg just because the hairs on my upper leg/thigh area barely count. Read More

My Project 10 Pan for 2014

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I mentioned, briefly, my intention to do another Project 10 Pan for 2014, but modified to my needs and my use of makeup. I don’t wear makeup everyday—only when I go outside, and sometimes not even then. I work as a freelance graphic designer and a writer, and I’m also pursuing art. For this reason, I stay home a lot and I find it a little unnecessary to wear makeup in the house, unless I’m testing out products or looks.

As such, a lot of my makeup gets neglected and, in effect, wasted. In an effort to minimize wastage, I’ve decided to do a year-long purgeˆ and also to do my version of the Project 10 Pan. This was started by Laura of Buy Now, Blog Later, when she was still heavily active in the YouTube circuit. The basic rules are for you pick 10 items you want to use up before you buy another similar product. Picking a foundation, for example, means that you have to use up the chosen foundation before you buy another, virtually identical product.

For my own needs, I’ve decided to have products to focus on for each of the ten specific categories that I’ve drawn up. The focus will be on items I have multiples of but neglect to use regularly, and they’re categories that I shouldn’t have to have multiples of.

Using items outside of the chosen ones is still, of course, allowed. I will attempt to use them for a minimum of a month, and if I still don’t get regular/much use out of them, this means that the product is a “toss” or a “give away.”

I think this works much better for me, because I don’t want to be dreading using products I don’t get on with, and not getting to play with the other items I have lying around.

Here are the ten categories I’ve chosen to focus on.

PP 2014 - Liquid Foundation, Primer, Eye Primer, Moisturizer

(LIQUID) FOUNDATION — Sometime last year, I decided I didn’t want to bother with liquid foundations, causing me to neglect some of the items I have lying around here. The truth is, I rather like the finish of the liquid foundations I have; it just gets too hot to wear them sometimes. For the cooler days, I’ve chosen to wear these for as long as I can/until I finish up the bottle.

— Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Liquid Foundation in Cheers to Me… Champagne
— AHAVA Light Foundation in Sand

PRIMER — I have a ton of these, but I already know which one I like the most. I love most of the primers that I have, so this won’t be an issue to use up; I just need to make more of an effort to rotate and use the others!

— y.e.t. Cosmetics Fill it Up Primer

EYE PRIMER — For the simple fact that I don’t need any more and I should use what I have everyday to assert the fact that I don’t need more.

— NARS Pro-Prime Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base

MOISTURIZER — a) I have too many, b) I need to moisturize more regularly, c) This is the best one I’ve used for daytime use.

— AHAVA Essential Day Moisturizer*

PP 2014 - Mascara and BB Creams

MASCARA — These are the ones that have been open the longest. Try not to have a heart attach when/if you find out how long.

— Eye of Horus Natural Mascara*
— Maybelline The HyperCurl
— Majolica Majorca Lash King

BB CREAM — Mostly because I want to get rid of them. They’re a bit thicker than I’d like (in terms of the product that’s on my face), but I really like these and they have excellent SPF.

— Snoe Beauty Let it B with WasaB BB Cream in Perfect Beige and Warm Honey

PP 2014 - Lip Balm, Blush, Setting Powder, Eyebrow

LIP BALM TYPE THINGS — I will forever cherish the day that I finish up lip balm.

— Snoe Beauty Beso Balm*
— eos lip balm (I heard this was a great lip primer, so I’ll see if that’s true for me)
— Etude House Apricot Stick (not really a lip balm, but a balm-type thing)

BLUSH — Carried over from my last attempt at Project Pan, these are non-CF blushes I want to use up as fast as possible. They are great colors for daily use, too!

— Revlon Mineral Blush in Roseberry
— Smashbox Whipped Blush in Dusty Rose

SETTING POWDER — Because this needs to see the light of day.

— Snoe Beauty Poudre Phenomenon

EYEBROW PRODUCT — Again, perfectly happy with the ones I have now, but I want to continue and work on finishing this up, because I’ve had it for the longest time.

— The Body Shop Brow & Liner Kit in 02

(not pictured because it was in my bag, hurrah!)

LIQUID EYELINER — An abundance of liquid eyeliners. I suppose it’s a great thing that none of my eyeliners have dried out yet (my K-Palette is seriously over a year old), but I need to use up at least one of them. I’m actually predicting a “toss” on this item, but we’ll see if it can still perform.

— K-Palette Liquid Eyeliner in 01

And that’s that! Are you on a Project Pan as well? Please share your links below; I’d love to see!

ˆ As much as it pains me, I have to do it!
* PR Sample

Go for the Nude: Le Métier de Beauté True Colour Eye Shadows in Naked and Tamarack

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Le Métier de Beauté - True Colour Eye Shadow - Naked, Tamarack

I bought these Le Métier de Beauté True Colour Eye Shadows in Naked and Tamarack when they were having the Gravité Kaleidoscope on promo as a Gift With Purchase. One of the sets had these two shadows that I would never have normally picked from the LMdB range, especially at such a high price point. They are pretty standard matte colors that are actually pretty awesome and great for everyday, office-appropriate looks, and I would have loved these to bits if I wasn’t already drowning in neutrals. Which I am.

Le Métier de Beauté - True Colour Eye Shadow - Naked, Tamarack - Swatches

Naked is just a light, matte base color that’s probably skin-tone if you are Snow White. It’s not a pure white, though, maybe an off-white/pale cream. Luckily for me, it’s the perfect color to put on the entirety of my lid space, up to the browbone, since it’s such a great base and it’s light enough for a subtle highlight.

Tamarack is a matte midtone brown that I want to say is cool-toned. It’s a couple of shades darker than my skintone, which makes it a perfect shade for a light, natural contour.

Here they are in action, without a primer:

Le Metier de Beaute - True Colour Eye Shadow - Naked, Tamarack - Eye 1

Le Metier de Beaute - True Colour Eye Shadow - Naked, Tamarack - Eye 2

I think they’re both great, in conjunction, for a no makeup makeup look (just slight definition and enhancement), but that they’re also perfect shades to throw into the mix if you’re in need of really great staple nudes and neutrals.

As you know, I’m a big fan of the LMdB formula, so I love these, but I do think the shades are pretty standard and are definitely easily replaceable, if not dupeable. If I were to splurge on LMdB eyeshadows, I’d definitely pick other standout shades like Alexandrite, Corinthian, and Midnight Sky over these colors. In my opinion, their mattes don’t work as well as the other finishes and textures, and don’t do the Le Métier de Beauté name (and reputation for buttery shadows) justice.

Le Métier de Beauté is cruelty-free.