All posts filed under: Reviews

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 …

Quickie: MAC 217, I’m a believer!

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Here’s just a tiny post to quickly address the awesomeness of the MAC 217 brush. It’s basically a fluffy brush typically used for blending out eyeshadow (based on its shape), but it can be used for a number of different things. Here’s Wayne Goss demonstrating the many uses of the 217: Even without all of these other uses, however, the MAC 217 is always praised to the high heavens by everyone and their mother, because it does its job really, really, really well. I didn’t have a lot of brushes when I started out on my makeup journey, and I’ve just really used a MAC 217 and then a RealTechniques eyeshadow brush, which is awesome as well. And then I met a few blending brushes that I didn’t get on with, which made me appreciate this one all the more. I love you, 217.

The Perfect Neutral Eye with a Pop: NARS Duo in Grand Palais

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I wasn’t going to get this particular duo, but it caught my eye. I was lemming for Charade for the longest time, but found that it didn’t swatch very well on my skintone and I feared it would look a little flat. So, I ended up choosing between this, Grand Palais, and Kuala Lumpur, which is somewhat similar but had two shimmery shades. Robbie, the SA, said this was a better option and you know me, I am very easy to convince. The two colors in this duo are a “silver taupe” and a “dusty rose.” The reason why I chose this over Kuala Lumpur, which I was instantly attracted to, is because of the finishes. The silver taupe shade has a slight sheen to it, nothing overly shimmery, and the dusty rose shade is a full-on matte. This is pretty much a full eye look right here, which is what duos are supposed to be for, right? Here are two colors from the duo, as well as a swatch where I have them blended …

Step Into Your Perfect Light With Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders

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I have a peculiar relationship with overhyped products. Sometimes I am very much skeptical about them, but other times I just get suckered into the whole dealio and when the dust has settled, I find myself several dollars poorer with no clue as to why I bought into the whole thing. This could very well be the latter situation, except… these “Ambient Lighting Powders” by Hourglass Cosmetics are so worth the hype. If these things were horrible products, I’d be kicking myself in the face for falling for something so pretentiously named. But, I needed to know if these “Ambient Lighting Powders” could actually artificially create a lighting effect on the face using powders. It sounds like sorcery to me and anything that brings me a step closer to being able to get Lumos! to work is worth a try. First, I ordered Luminous Light to try out. Since I enlisted the help of Carefreeshopper, I needed to wait about a month to get my order. I was really getting antsy and meant to get …

Quickie: Le Métier de Beauté Indelible Inks in Castalia and Artemis

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I have a hard time saying ‘no’ to things. Which is how I ended up with both colors of the Le Métier de Beauté Indelible Inks. These are great liquid liners with amazing colors: Artemis, which is a deep navy blue that has a little sheen to it, and Castalia which is a creamy, eggplant-y purple. I initially wanted to just get Artemis, but I can’t resist a pretty purple liner. The formula is a little thicker than I’m used to, definitely more creamy than liquid-y. Which I find kind of weird because the brush bristles are super duper thin and fine. I don’t know if the formula is to be blamed for this disaster: Or… if it’s just because of the brush’s super fine-ness. D: Now I have to heavily apply the formula to get the lines straight. I’ll try to apply it with a separate brush, though, but that just has “TOO MUCH EFFORT” written all over it. Still, it’s a beautiful color, don’t you think? Additionally, the formula is very long-wearing. To …

Lipstick Week, Day 4: Go Nude or Go Home

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My title sounds like a nicer way of saying “TITS OR GTFO,” but I promise that it’s not! Day 4 is about the perfect nude lip! Sorry for the slight lateness. I usually try to post my posts before noon but I had to do other things today. Still, I made it on time. 🙂 It’s no secret that I very much prefer quiet, unassuming shades to the loud ones. I’ve learned that my Bold Lip BFF is any kind of deep plum, but I don’t think I’ve found my BEST NUDE EVER~ shade quite yet. A nude lip is the perfect companion to a lot of makeup looks, especially if you want to do smokey eyes or anything super colorful. However, finding the right nude lip for you can be quite challenging. Remember my Creamsicle Horror Story? Well, click the link and see for yourself. In my opinion, the perfect nude is not too pink, not too brown, and not too pale. It shouldn’t wash you out and it shouldn’t be so distracting that …

Lipstick Week, Day 3: How to Wear Red Lipstick & Other (Rather Vampy) Alternatives

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(This happened because I don’t have red lip liner and I don’t know how to count.) Hello everyone! I just wanted to first say thanks to everyone who’s been interacting with me on my current series, Lipstick Week! I’m trying to switch things up and make things a bit more interesting while featuring as many lipsticks as possible. Once again, thanks to Tellie for tagging me. 🙂 SO. We are at Day 3. I thought I would do this feature now (instead of after my “How to Make Your Lipstick Last Longer” post), just in time for the Manila screening of The Great Gatsby. When I think of the 1920s, I think of luscious jazz parties, flapper dresses and bubbly, fizzy drinks—and of course, red lipstick! I’ll tell you right away—red is not my color. I wish it was. Red lip lovers, like my friends Reggie, Abi, and Krysty, seem to cull some sort of magic confidence elixir from wearing red lipstick. AND I WANT THAT. Alas. I have always shied away from red, even …