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FOTD: I Went to a Wedding

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I’m quite busy at the moment, so here’s a quick FOTD post! I hope you don’t mind. 🙂 A few days ago, I went to a wedding, which I posted about here. Towards the end, I put my hair up and looked like a whale—and I keep mentioning my weight gain, because I truly do not feel comfortable in my, in this skin, so there—but this is what I looked like with my hair down & my makeup intact:

Do you like the cooler behind me? Hehe.

DA BREAKDOWN:
On my face, I used Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer (review), BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal (review), bareMinerals Original Foundation in Medium Beige (review), and no concealer because I forgot to put it before the foundation, lol. Topped it off with Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Mood Light (review) and a spritz of Urban Decay All-Nighter Makeup Setting Spray (review).

On my eyes, UDPP (review), of course. All over the lid, I have Le Métier de Beauté True Colour Crème Eye Shadow in Champagne Shimmer, topped with Le Métier de Beauté Eyeshadow Duo in Brown as a Berry (review). I lined my upper lash line, and half of my lower lash line with MAC Kohl in Teddy. Mascara was a double combination of Maybelline The HyperCurl with Le Métier de Beauté Anamorphic Lash Mascara (review) on top! Brows c/o The Body Shop Brow & Liner Kit in 02.

For cheeks, I just have a Tom Ford blush in Wicked (review). For lips, I’ve got NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Bahama (review).

Apologies if this was extremely boring. But in case you were wondering, it was an absolutely beautiful wedding. 🙂 See you soon with a couple of new and exciting reviews! (Seriously, they will be exciting, I promise.)

Stay tuned for this afternoon for a new installment of Nosy Beauty. Don’t forget! 🙂

Drugstore Finds: Flower Beauty Kiss Stick High Shine Lipstick in Ginger Lily

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Flower Beauty - Ginger Lily - Case

I’ve been eyeing the Flower Beauty line ever since it came out, but I obviously can’t get any of that over here, unless I go through a reseller. In a fit of “need to buy something,” I bought some things—just 3—from the Flower Beauty range, and here are my thoughts on this “Kiss Stick High Shine Lipstick.”

If you are in Manila, in search of Flower Beauty, look no further than Bon Marche.

Eyes: MAC Paint Pot (Bare Study), Rouge Bunny Rouge (Solstice Halcyon), K-Palette Liquid Eyeliner. Face: Bloom Secret Weapon Concealer Kit, bareMinerals Mineral Veil, Tarte Matte & Waterproof Bronzer (Park Avenue Princess). Brows: The Body Shop Brow & Liner Kit (02)

Eyes: MAC Paint Pot (Bare Study), Rouge Bunny Rouge (Solstice Halcyon), K-Palette Liquid Eyeliner. Face: Bloom Secret Weapon Concealer Kit, bareMinerals Mineral Veil, Tarte Matte & Waterproof Bronzer (Park Avenue Princess). Brows: The Body Shop Brow & Liner Kit (02)

I tend to shy away from warm colors—especially for lip products—because they pronounce my “yellow-ness” and I don’t like looking too warm. Don’t get me wrong; I like being tan, just not warm. Ginger Lily isn’t so bad, though I bought this on the off-chance that it would be a dupe for MAC’s Betty Bright (it isn’t), and I honestly kinda like it despite that obvious mismatch that I should have caught anyway.

Ginger Lily seems to be a reddish coral. The pigmentation is superb, but the formula is so creamy that you need to take very good care of where you are drawing. There’s a chance that it will get everywhere.

One swipe delivers that amount of color. Good quality, if you ask me! The packaging is quite nice, too, though I wouldn’t go as far as everyone else, saying that it looks expensive. These don’t look expensive. They look quite nice but they don’t look high-end to me.

There’s a weird smell, too, like the metallic smell of overexerted batteries. I don’t know if that’s just mine, but no one else seems to note that. Is it crazy that I think I’ll still use this even after that fact?

Flower Beauty - Ginger Lily - Swatch

Over all, this is a good drugstore lipstick, I think. If you’re looking for cruelty-free options, try looking into this line of lipsticks. I read the velvets/mattes were rubbish, but that these take the cake!

For more Softly Sometimes updates, please like my Facebook page: Softly Sometimes. I recently changed it to Nothing Spaces! Sorry about the confusion 🙂

Flower Beauty is cruelty-free and available at Walmart.

shu uemura Stage Performer Instant-Glow Immediate Radiance Skin Perfecting Cream

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shu uemura stage performer instant glow 2

What this product is is a mouthful! This is actually my sister’s but we sometimes borrow each other’s makeup bits. She has a lot of base and concealer-type things, while I have an abundance of eyeshadows, so it works out. Anyway. This is the freaking best. We were at the shu uemura counter because my mom was replenishing some skin care items that she tried out and liked. And then this caught our eye.

I don’t normally stray away from the color makeup offerings, but I saw this and I thought it was a new product. A review I read of this said that it’s usually stashed with skin care.

My sister and I were so amazed at the luminosity it provided. Out of the tube, it looked a lot like The Body Shop’s BB Cream that I used to have—a white cream with brown particles suspended in it. I suppose they’re pigments that kind of “explode” upon blending, lending a bit of tint and color to your complexion. Blended out a little, the sheen reminds me a lot of the too cool for school Pearl Bay Invasion Dinoplatz illuminator, which I love. Anyway, onto the Stage Performer Instant-Glow Immediate Radiance Skin Perfecting Cream!

Product Description: “Glow from the inside out!

Stage-inspired, multi-functional beauty cream to enhance makeup finish and deliver a natural glow. Contains Ginkgo Leaf extract to fight oxidation. Instantly, skin appears more luminous, translucent and smooth. Provides 24-hour lasting moisture.”

The way it was sold to us (haha) by the MUA was as an all-over face base to perk your complexion up if you are in a rush or can’t be bothered to put on a medium or heavy coverage foundation. It’s very, very, very light, and it almost seems like it does nothing to your skin, but I do believe that it adds just a touch of luminosity and radiance to make you look a little bit more put together, without exerting too much effort

On my face: shu uemura eyeshadow in ME medium brown 885, Addiction eyeshadow in Sandbar, Addiction Revenge cheek stick, Maybelline The Hypercurl Mascara, K-Palette Liquid Eyeliner, NARS Pure Matte Lipstick in Montego Bay, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Mood Light.

Each tube has 1.6 fl. oz. or 50ml of product, which is a lot because you don’t need a lot of this. Just about a pea-sized drop was enough to cover my entire face. In that photo, I set my face with a light layer of a finishing powder, but I didn’t use any other base product. This is a pretty good product, if you ask me!

I think my sister paid around Php 2,700 (or around $60) for this, though I’m not too sure. I would suggest planning your purchases when you go to shu uemura, though. They have the best GWPs, in my opinion.

shu uemura is not cruelty-free.

y.e.t. Cosmetics Fill it Up Primer

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I don’t know what it is about primers because I rarely rotate them (Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer 4eva), but whenever I walk up to the tester and feel the silicone-y smoothness on the back of my hand, I can’t not get it. It’s kind of ridonkulous how I never got a tube of Benefit’s Porefessional for myself, but that’s another story.

y.e.t. - Fill it Up Primer - Box

Anyway, at a bazaar a few weeks ago, I spotted this Korean brand I haven’t heard of yet and decided to buy a few things with the spending money (about $22, lol) my dad gave me. With half of that, I bought a face primer called Fill it Up Primer by y.e.t. cosmetics, which is a super new brand that launched just in 2012.

I was super impressed with their face bases as well, but I have so many to go through right now, so I resisted.

y.e.t. - Fill it Up Primer - Bottle

It’s quite a nice primer, and the packaging is cute but pretty standard. Its packaging is made of a lightweight plastic with an easy-to-use nozzle. You can pretty much control the amount of primer it dispenses, half of which is what I need for the oily areas of my face (center + cheeks).

The primer is a clear gel that settles into a velvet-y silicone-y layer.

y.e.t. - FIll it Up Primer

I think it performed fairly well. As I’ve mentioned before, I live in a tropical country so aside from battling natural oiliness, I have to think about extreme humidity and abrupt weather changes. Primers are especially helpful, in my experience, and helps your makeup settle down into a decent finish after you unexpectedly get doused in rainwater or your own sweat.

y.e.t. - FIll it Up

I was pretty much amazed at how well it controlled the oils on my face. I usually get shiny on my T-zone (esp. the bridge of my nose), and my cheeks. While this doesn’t feel velvet-y smooth to the touch (au contraire, it is quite gunk-y and yuck), at least it looks pretty decent. I didn’t retouch with a powder or blotting paper.

So far, I’m pretty happy with it. Whether or not it breaks me out remains to be seen.

I have no information on whether or not y.e.t. Cosmetics is cruelty-free. You can purchase these online through this distributor.

Foundation Routine for the Tropics

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Summer Foundation Routine

I live in Metro Manila, Philippines and it’s usually too hot here to wear liquid foundations. If you’re going to be on a commute, exposed to the elements, it’s probably not a good idea to have too many liquid or cream products on your face. I think a lot of people here favor powder foundations.

While I like to wear liquid foundations when it’s not too hot or humid, I’ve also come up with a foundation routine that I’m super happy with for normal days where I just don’t want to bother with my face as the day goes on. I’m not really particular about covering up blemishes or having perfect, poreless skin. I think I mostly use face products a) to keep oil in check, and b) for the SPF.

HOURGLASS VEIL MINERAL PRIMER
This works super well with loose mineral foundation, as well as smoothening out my skin. I don’t have a lot of enlargened pores, but this adds a soft-focused blur on the places that need a little bit of help.

After, I add on some concealer, since most of what I have are cream products. After it sets, I put on my foundation of choice.

BAREMINERALS ORIGINAL LOOSE FOUNDATION
This is a super awesome product. I like it because it’s lightweight and is ‘barely there,’ but it truly improves my complexion. It adds just a sense of ‘polished’ to your look. I can’t really seem to build it up to full coverage without appearing powdery, but it’s been done by a ton of people. I wear Medium Beige, and it’s a pretty much perfect match for my skin tone.

Blush application happens now. I finish everything off with either of these:

BAREMINERALS MINERAL VEIL
Very mattifying, good for oily days or just particularly hot ones. It extends the appearance of being polished lent to my face by the BM Original Foundation. This takes away shine and locks in the makeup, without making you look powdery.

HOURGLASS AMBIENT LIGHTING POWDER
This is my other weapon of choice for finishing off my face makeup. It’s a light, light powder that really just adds to the entire look of the makeup. If you’re not familiar with the point of these powders, kindly check out this post that I made.

Keep in mind that this is not a full-coverage foundation look. This is for laid-back, low-maintenance days where I don’t want to worry about whether or not my foundation is coming off in patches. Not that I like it when I have to worry about it; but when I absolutely cannot be bothered, this is my go-to routine, as everything wears off well and naturally. 🙂

I hope this was useful. I am working on another foundation routine post, for perfect complexion~, as requested by a reader, Amy. So stay tuned for that. 🙂

Hourglass Cosmetics and bareMinerals are cruelty-free.

Quickie: Urban Decay All-Nighter Makeup Setting Spray

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Urban Decay - All-Nighter Setting Spray

Here’s a quick review of the Urban Decay All-Nighter Makeup Setting Spray, but I don’t really know what to say really other than “it works.” A bullet-point list of its claims:
— Long-lasting
— Oil free
— Paraben free
— Temperature Control Technology

I don’t have a lot of experience with setting sprays, but I do notice a marked difference with the longevity of my makeup and how nice it still looks by the end of the day.

That’s a really big deal because I live in a humid country and I do commute pretty often. The nozzle disperses the product evenly, and I don’t have wet globs of wetness all over my face. It also dries down pretty well and quickly, and doesn’t have a weird smell or anything like that. I can’t really think of how to elaborate on this product; all I can say is that it works.

I don’t set my makeup when I don’t have a long day ahead, but I can’t really think of how to go on a long day out without spritzing this all over.

Urban Decay is cruelty-free, but is owned by L’Oreal, which tests on animals.

Without Further Adieu, Goodbye Eye Makeup Month!

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(LOL. I know my title is wrong. Give a girl a break for trying to crack a joke!)

I was going to post an eyeshadow collection, but then it made me feel like a poophead for having so much. So I won’t post it right now, but let me know if you’d like to see it. Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you for enduring an eye makeup only month and for being so nice about my stupid queued posts and the frequency of them. 🙂 I really appreciate all the comments and the suggestions.

Since this Eye Makeup Month is a sort of special celebration of my birthday… are you wondering when my birthday was? It was yesterday! 🙂 I was nursing some bizarre allergy so I didn’t get to take a photo of what I wore. However, if you were curious, here’s what I used:

Birthday FOTD - Stuff

I turned 25, gag. I think my brain stopped being aware of my age at nineteen. Aside from Eye Makeup Month over here on Softly, this is what has been happening in my non-beauty blog life:

Week

For elaboration and such, feel free to head on over to my main blog, my Instagram, and/or my Twitter, since I post everything else on those places anyway. 🙂

Also, in case you missed any of the eye posts, you can go ahead and click here for the Master List of posts. I’ll keep it up as a sticky post on the front page for maybe about a week or so, then you can also find it on the sidebar after that. I feel like some of these posts have been marginally useful, yes?

Here’s a preview of what I have in line for the next few posts:

Stuff to Look Forward to

Don’t you find it funny (ish) that I still have backlogged posts lined up after roughly 4 months of my No Buy. That is insane. And that is why I had to go on it. (I did pick up a few things for my birthday, though. Oops.)

I’ve been thinking about a bunch of fun Halloween tutorials, too. I’m not much of a Halloween person because I didn’t grow up with it, so I never really prepared much for it! I’ll try to force it into my consciousness, though. I’m sure it’ll be fun times!

That’s all for now! Thanks again for bearing with all the information. As I’ve said before, I love eye makeup. Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook (which I have since changed to my entire blog instead of just this sub-branch) and subscribe to my YouTube channel. I have a lot of videos planned.

See you around and have a great week ahead. 🙂