All posts filed under: Reviews

Barely any base: BECCA Backlight Priming Filter

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So, a few days ago, I led a customer into a fitting room and she took the time to pause and tell me that my skin looked really great. Obviously, I beamed… some more, ha. I’ve been too lazy to wear any type of base, especially during the summer when my skin went very tan and nothing I had matched me. Anyway, I thought I’d share the base combo I was wearing that day, since I did wear something new that I felt helped give me a little facelift. I picked up a travel size of the BECCA Backlight Priming Filter at SpaceNK¹ for… uh, reasons. I think I wanted a bit more glowy-ness, but having tried the BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector (in Opal!), I wanted something more subtle. I figured that “primer” meant it was meant to use under makeup or alone (I was right — but yes, I could have read the instructions). The product is much more watery than the Shimmering Skin Perfector, and I don’t have mine with me at the …

Sephora Says Hello!

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Good news, girls and boys—Sephora has come to Philippine shores! The Sephora team kindly sent me some of the products they carry on their website, and honestly, it felt a little bit like Christmas to me. If you shop online a lot and the list of brands seems familiar to you, it’s because Luxola (which I’ve mentioned here and here) has rebranded to Sephora.ph. They’re rolling out more brands soon, and I tried to poke around to see which ones, but they wanted stuff to be a surprise (understandably!), so I guess my fingers are crossed for some of my favorite Sephora staples to cross over. What’s great about Sephora.ph, too, is that there is a pretty varied selection. Here are just 3 cruelty-free brands that they carry: Nudestix Eyebrow Stylus Pencil and Waterproof Setting Gel in Dirty Blonde* I didn’t think this was going to work out for me because of the color, but it was so easy to use and the shade matched me strangely well! I love the soft definition it gives …

MAC Marge’s Extra Ingredients Quad

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Aside from the 3 blush pans, Laura also sent me an LE MAC quad from the Simpsons collection from a while back. She received it gratis, which explains the lack of special packaging, and said she thought it would be fun for me to try out. This one’s called Marge’s Extra Ingredients and has four colors: Harpooned Heart, Sexy PB & J, Beehive Blue, Vivacious Vacuum Cleaner Bag. Harpooned Heart: light baby pink (Lustre) Sexy PB & J: mid-tone bright violet (Veluxe pearl) Beehive Blue: mid-tone bright blue (Veluxe Pearl) Vivacious Vacuum Cleaner Bag: deep navy (Frost) FYR: lustre (smoothly pearlized; intensely frosted with deluxe ultrafine ‘conditioned’ finish), veluxe pearl (vibrantly toned. Velvety soft. Shimmeringly metallic. Veluxe eyeshadow, now overlaid with high-shine pearl), frost (an iridescent shine that adds a highlight to any color). Swatched, L-R: Harpooned Heart, Sexy PB and J, Beehive Blue, Vivacious Vacuum Cleaner Bag When I started getting into makeup, I was really drawn to purples (especially when it comes to eyeshadow), but I don’t wear that color that much anymore …

Sample Stash Sunday No. 1

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I’ve been doing Sample Stash Sundays for a few years on this blog, and the feature comes and goes, and actually focuses on specific samples at a time. Well, in an effort to destash my samples and keep them from wasting away, I made a dedicated attempt at using them up. But, I’m going to be posting the little reviews in groups. So, we’re going to start back at “No. 1.” Because I said so. Here’s a look at my first batch of samples, some of which were tried from late last year. Burt’s Bees Intense Hydration Treatment Mask* This was honestly a great moisturizing mask, but I am just really averse to creams you wipe away from your face. I just don’t like that sensation. This was very effective in moisturizing my face, though, especially taking care of the dry patches around my mouth area, which regular moisturizers tend to leave dry. Recommend if you don’t mind wiping off product from your face. GLAMGLOW POWERMUD™ Dualcleanse Treatment Mask This stung the shit out of …

ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip

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I know I look like I’ve been on a little bit of a ColourPop streak, but I literally placed only 2 orders towards the end of last year and have divvied up the items so that they don’t get too overwhelming. 🙂 Right now, I’m going to talk a bit about the ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip, which is a new product to me. They’re pretty much the same as the matte liquid lipsticks that have been popping up all over the place lately: a lipstick with a pigmented, opaque gloss-like consistency that dries matte. I do, however, really like this formula way more than the other ones I’ve tried thus far. I’ve seen a lot of other liquid lipsticks I wanted to try, but one major aspect of me picking ColourPop was the price point and their “no animal testing policy.” There’s still a hint of seediness to this whole out-of-nowhere, overly-hip weird operation, in my opinion, but nothing that strikes me as overly sinister. But anyway. I got 3 shades, (from top to bottom): …

New Discoveries from Indie Lee

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The Indie Lee Blemish Lotion and Calendula Eye Balm aren’t necessarily new items, but they are new to me. I was wrestling with a weirdly relentless bout of acne and was a little desperate for a spot treatment, so in the bin the Blemish Lotion went. I was also looking for a replacement for my current eye cream, which is by One Love Organics. It was okay, as far as moisture went, but I was also in the mood to try something else. The Blemish Lotion ($26; shop here) is a talc-free spot treatment, where you let a 100% natural solution of colloidal sulfur, zinc oxide, salicylic acid, magnesium aluminum silicate, camphor, and iron oxide settle onto the bottom of a bottle of water and isopropyl alcohol. You dip a cotton swab in the settled sediment and apply to spots, over a few hours or overnight. I swear, this has been a game changer for me. I tend to get really persistent spots around my nose area, but this calmed them down after just one …

My Christmas Present to Myself: The RMS Beauty Round-Up

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I have already lamented my weakness over at Twitter a few weeks ago, when I confessed to buying a selection of RMS Beauty items and blamed it on Black Friday. In truth, I have been drooling over these items for months and months, always relegating them for one reason or another to the “not right now” list. It was a mistake on my part, at least for some of them, because they are, quite frankly, amazing. RMS Beauty, one of the better known niche green beauty brands, has a handful of items in their product catalog. Some of the more famous and well-loved ones are the Living Luminizer ($38) and the “Un” Cover-Up ($36). They have a selection of color makeup items, some skin care and brushes, and most recently, a 6-free nail polish range. I went the safe route, and argued for “value.” I reasoned that getting the Glowing Gift Set was probably the best choice since it had the aforementioned best-sellers as well as your choice of Eye Polish (a cream-based eyeshadow; $28) …