National Lipstick Day

Hello ladies and gents!

I was browsing Facebook earlier today and I saw that it is National Lipstick Day!

Just wanted to greet everyone with my new baby... The limited edition MAC Kelly Osbourne Kelly Yum Yum which is a Satin Finish. 

I saw this yesterday at the MAC store and it was just recently launched. I wanted to buy the other lipsticks but I saw that they were Matte finishes. I just bought this one instead. 

It has a pretty lilac packaging and it has Kelly Osbourne's signature on the box.

The bullet casing also is in lilac. Very lovely color indeed. Retails for RM 74 at MAC Cosmetics. 

My Second International Swap: USA

I am so addicted to swapping >_< OMG! What they said was true! It is very addicting! 

Anyways, I was successful enough to mail my package to the US despite of the holiday. Yes. In three days, the country would be celebrating the Raya festival or the End of Ramadan. The end of fasting for our Muslim brothers and sisters. 

     This is the Raya decoration at Suria

Anyway, it's been super fun seeing a lot of Raya buffets around the metro. Literally they are sprawling in the streets. My husband and I wanted to try the food but whenever we pass by, it's either we have so many bags because of shopping (taking advantage of the Raya Sale) or my  feet are too tired of walking because of the malls around. 

  Banchetto style food stalls for the Raya

Anyway, LOL I've been making a lot of side stories! Okay...let's go to the update on my second swap!

I managed to do a swap with a friend from Be a Beauty Correspondent group in Facebook. For you to become a member of the group, you have to send a private message to any of the admins stating that you want to join and they'll reply as soon as they read your message. They'll get your email address and then they'll let you in. All the ladies there are very friendly and nice. 

My first swap was with Soumaya, a friend I met in the group and she lives in Paris, France. The next swap I'm doing is with Kaoyee who is from the US. I sent my parcel a day late because I got confused with the post offices here. Apparently there are two kinds - the Poslaju which is the national courier and the POS Malaysia which is both national and International. I went to Poslaju and had a miscommunication with the mail carrier that's why I had to go to POS Malaysia. 

So there, I still have two pending swaps. One this coming August with Ludivine (France) and the other on Late September - Early 

October with Sabrina (Germany). I also joined the Halloween Swap. Hopefully I'll get my partner this August so I can shop. 

Monthly Favorites: July 2014

I'm posting my monthly favorites earlier this month because I am so sure that I won't be able to post this on August 01. Our family is visiting from Manila and everyone will surely be busy here in Malaysia because of the Raya. 

As per my previous posts, haven't been posting much about new cosmetic products lately because I'm discovering more of the skin care products. 

Let's get started! ^_^

1. Elianto Natural Therapy in Melon and Cucumber - This is a shower gel. I love using shower gels instead of using bar soaps just because it's easier to scrub with gels using a loofa. I love the scent. It gives a fresh aroma in the body.

2. Le Petit Marseiliais Creme mains Nourrissante Peaux Tres Seches - this one was actually given to me by my friend Soumaya from our swap. As you can see, I received this a week ago but I love it so much that it's almost empty. It gives the moisturizing effect similar to the soap and glory hand lotion. It also smells like vanilla. Vanilla scents are my most favorite scents of all. 

3. Nivea Creme - I also got this from the box that Soumaya sent me. I know this Creme has been in the department since forever. When I was younger my mom used to have the same exact creme. I used to play with the Creme when I was younger and I never liked the formulation but now that I am older, I appreciate what it does to my skin. It makes my skin moisturized. The place where I am right now is not as cold as France but it's also not as humid in Manila that's why it's perfect to use this in this type of climate.

4. Loreal Make-up Remover - I discovered this at Watsons because they were having a promotion. I think I got this for only RM 18. Anyways, my sephora makeup remover is gone that's why I decided to give it a try. It does the job of removing makeup plus it's half water and half oil formulation. 

5. MAC LE Enchanted One - I think this is the second time that it is in my monthly favorites. I am so loving this lipstick. This is my MLBB (My Lips But Better) color. I love the nude color it gives to my lips. It doesn't make you look pale (there are nude lipsticks that make you look like you're dying) but it is in the nude tone. It reminds me of the lip colors back in the 90s. Sadly this is limited edition. It was a part of the MAC Alluring Aquatics Collection. 

6. Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation - this product is very popular in the blogging and vlogging world. They said that this is a dupe for the Chanel Aqua Foundation. The formula for me is not the typical that I would usually gravitate towards because it's very thin. I like thick formulas for liquid foundations. The coverage is buildable. For 1 pump you get a light coverage. I usually do 2 pumps of this foundation. The thing that I like about it is that you feel like you are not wearing anything at all because it's super lightweight but at the same time it gives you coverage. Another plus for me is that I like the smell. It doesn't smell like chemical like the typical foundations. It has a fruity smell. 

7. Uriage Eau Thermale - this also came in the box that Soumaya gave me. This one is a Thermal Water for face hydration. I like spritzing it on my face when I feel hot. It gives the cooling effect similar to the Evian Spray. 

8. Roge Cavailles Gel Surgras Bain et Douche - this also came in together with the other items in Soumaya's package. I love this bath lotion. It smells like my Glad hair day - like a vanilla raspberry scent. It's also almost empty actually. I want to find another one like this and stock up on it because it's really good. 

First Look: Bourjois Cosmetics

Hello ladies! Finally back from being MIA. HaHa! I miss blogging! I've been very busy with errands and forgive me for that. 

Anyways, in this entry, I want to share with you guys my recent trip to Watsons Pavilion. I am so happy that Bourjois is finally available not only in Sunway Pyramid but also in Watsons! 

I got this picture from Bourjois Malaysia FB page. Bourjois is currently available in Pavilion and Sungei Wang Plaza. The last stop will be at Suria. 

I bought the Healthy Mix Foundation and the Blush. All I can say is that it was worth the wait buying the products.

I bought the blush in 02 Rose Frisson. I like that this is magnetic. You don't have to worry that you won't be able to close the compartment and make a mess in your cosmetic bag. 

It also comes with a blush brush inside. It also has a small size mirror which I think I wouldn't use but that's a plus. If you can see the two silver circles, those are the magnets. 

The color of the blush is like a hot rose pink color. The blush has this scent to it. What I realized about French products is that they like rose scents. Some are sweet scents, some are very floral. The blush smells floral. Kinda reminds me of how my grandma smells. The scent kinda annoys me but when you actually put in on your face. The scent goes away. 

I also bought the healthy mix foundation. It's been so raved about both on the blogging sphere and on YouTube. They said it was comparable to a Chanel foundation. I don't know if this is true but I think they said that Chanel and Bourjois are sister companies. So maybe that's why they have the same formulation? I don't know but this is a good foundation for a cheap price. 

My shade is in Beige Clair or Light Beige.

I can't wait to use both products in the future. I think this will be included in my July favorites. Teehee! :>

How bout you? Do you have any hauls to share?

A special delivery from France

I was so excited. The mailman came knocking on our door and he delivered a special box all the way from France

I was expecting the box to arrive yesterday. I think it was a holiday last Monday if I am not mistaken that's why the parcel arrived a day late.

Anyways...remember the International Swap? This was the box I was talking about. Thank you Soumaya for this box. I think the lotion spilled that's why when I opened it, it smells good.

The cute little box where all the goodies from France are inside.

All the contents of the box. There were also some candies and treats that came in with the box.

I am excited to do an in-depth review of the items that I received. So far, I've used the Embryollise. Last month, it was included on my favorite's list. So glad thy Soumaya gave me an extra. ^_^

Swapping is very addictive. That's all I can say...

Beauty Review: Secret A Magic Beauty Story Moisture Mask by Princess + Update on Beauty Swap

Yesterday, my husband and I went to Suria Mall and to Pavilion Mall to buy some stuff. Primarily for my Beauty Swap partner and some stuff for the house. 

Anyways, we went to Watsons in Pavilion Mall and found tons of beauty masks. All of their packaging were so cute because most of them came from Japan and Korea.

 A little sidetrack story, I  was overwhelmed with the stuff that they have in Watsons. They even have Clio. Clio is a beauty brand from Korea which is endorsed by Sandara Park and their beauty line up is to die for.  I wanted to buy the lipincure lipstick but I said I'll just buy it some other time because I really need to finish shopping for my beauty swap. 

Anyways...there were so many beauty masks that I wanted to try but this mask in particular caught my attention.

The packaging is cute and hilarious at the same time. Teehee ^_^ This is from the brand Secret A and it claims that this is the number 1 moisturizing mask in Korea. One costs RM 6.90...roughly around PHP 96 when converted to Peso. 

This is the whitening mask. I really find the cartoon funny. I don't know if it works instantly but it claims that it does. We wi see about that when I use it.

This one is the moisture mask. This is the one that I am testing right now.

It claims that it is an effective natural moisturizing functional mask. It contains 10 kinds of the most effective ingredient, rich of Hyaluronic Acid which effectively hydrate skin, minimize skin pores, anti-skin dullness & enhance skin immunity.

It claims that it also does not contain the following:

- Triclosan

- Mineral Oil

- Minerals

- Coloring

- Flavoring 

- Paraben

- Benzophenone

Directions to use:

1. After cleansing face, place facial mask onto face and ensure that the mask fits properly onto skin. 

2. Leave it on for 15-20 minutes and remove it

3. Gently massage essence onto face until fully absorbed.

Anyway...I used the mask for 25 minutes maximum and I can say that it left my skin moisturized. It's the typical effect of of the Hyaluronic Acid like the Hada Labo. 

What I like about the product:

- it's cheap. It's only RM 6.90.

- Easy to find. You can buy this at Watsons

- You will feel the hydrated effect immediately

What I don't like about the product:

- I struggled un-folding the mask because it was too wet and the facial mask itself was clumping altogether. 

***Update on my Beauty Swap***

Anyways, to update you guys on my upcoming beauty swap. I found another swap partner from France and her name is Souyama. We managed to arrange things over the weekend and agreed to do our swap mail today. Our budget is around 30€ (Euros) converted to Malaysian Ringgit, it is only around RM132. Converted to Peso it's only around PHP 2,500. 

That is the picture of the things I bought for her within our budget of 30€. 

And this is how it looks like inside the box. 

I hope she likes what I bought for her. It's going to be shipped to France today. I'm so excited ^_^ 

 

Glamglow Youthmud Tingle Exfoliate Treatment

I've been hearing so much positive feedback about this product or should I say the brand itself is making a lot of buzz. 

Anyways, people are saying that this is a super mud used by Hollywood stars in exfoliating their skin. I was given a sample of this product last Christmas. It was sent to me by my sister from the USA. She got it from Sephora. It was only now that I had the time to test the product and see if it works.

The sample that I got was the black one. It's the tingle exfoliate treatment. I was hesitant to try this because i was reading a lot of reviews and they were saying they had breakouts after trying this product. My skin is not at it's best condition right now. I don't have acne but I have small breakouts like the rash type on the skin. I read that this is due to the hormonal imbalance. I'm quite irritated that it's taking forever to get rid of the small rashes on my face that's why I tested this mud mask. 

The direction says to apply a thin layer on the face. That's how it looks like with the thin layer. You can see sort of black spots on my face. I don't know what that was. 

To warn you, if you'll be using this one, it stings like hell. It's like it's burning your face but the moment it cools down, you'll feel that minty fresh sensation on your face. 

After 10 mins., my face looked like this. The solution became stiff - sort of like you are wearing a breakable thing on your face.

Afterwards, you have to rinse it off in circular motion with water. 

The effect on my skin was instantaneous. I felt that my skin was clean and that it became softer. It gives you the feeling of a facial treatment at the comfort of your house. 

PROs

- instant effect on the skin

- leaves a fresh clean feeling

- leaves the skin soft

- pores became smaller (I had a breakout on my cheek pores, it became bigger for some reason but upon using this, it became smaller)

CONs

- stings your face 

- expensive 

Rundown of the product:

Glamglow Youthmud Tingle Exfoliate Treatment

Where to buy: Sephora

What it does: Mud Exfoliator 

Price: Sample, got it for free

Will I buy the full size product after testing the sample?

- No...just because it's too expensive for me. I feel that some other products will do the same immediate effects at half the price. It does work but the price is ridiculously high for me. 

Will you recommend it to others?

- Yes! I do recommend the product because it works instantly. I do like it but the real downside is the price. 

MAC Satin Lipstick in Sushi Kiss

Another lipstick review! Anyways, I've been addicted to MAC lipsticks lately and  remember in my last post, before going to Malaysia, I bought 3 MAC lipsticks. This was one of the shades. 

MAC Sushi Kiss is a Satin finish. Not drying as a Matte formulation but just right. It gives that rich moisturizing effect. I'm leaning towards corals this year for some reason that's why I decided to buy this one. It's a wearable muted orange/coral. 

If I remember correctly, I think NYX also has this shade in their Round Lipstick line . I think the shade is Watermelon but I never wore that shade because it was so creamy. It also gave that luster effect on the lips. It also smells like soap. If you know what I mean. This however is the perfect shade. It's not shiny when worn on the lips plus it's a muted orange. Orange is like the new red nowadays. 

Product Rundown:

Product: MAC Sushi Kiss

Where to Buy: MAC Online Store / Nordstrom /  Trusted Online Sellers 

Price: $16 / PHP 850 (OL Seller)

What I like about the Product:

- I like the color

- Moisturizes the lips

- I love the scent

- wearable color

What I don't like about the Product:

- None I can think of

Overall

I think this lipstick is worth buying. It compliments me in general. The price is a bit steep but it's MAC. There are other dupes for this shade which are budget friendly but then again, quality-wise, you cannot go wrong with MAC. 

Disclaimer:

I bought this item. I am not in any way  sponsored by MAC nor am I affiliated with them. I was not paid to write this entry. All the things written above are my honest opinion about the product. 

Movie Review: X-Men: Days of Future Past

This is a super late movie review. This was in my draft folder for a month now HA HA :) I have the luxury of time to post this review now.

Anyways, I know most of you have seen this movie. By far, this for me is the best Marvel movie in the making. I know that the movie and the comic book world doesn't seem to be parallel when it comes to story telling but heck...it also goes the same for novels and movies - we can't expect it to be exactly the same because the director adapts his vision of what he reads through cinematography. 

Preview

Anyway...to warn you, I'm not a die-hard comic book fan but I know a little history about the Marvel universe. This movie was adapted from Uncanny X-Men Days of Future Past #141 - #142. In the original comic series, it was Kitty Pryde who went to her younger self to save the future. In the Uncanny Xmen Series, it was Bishop who was sent to the past to save the future.

Storyline 

In the movie, we see two settings, the future where all the mutants are being killed and the past where Wolverine goes back in time to save the future with the help of the other Mutants. Kitty Pryde sends Wolverine back in time to seek the help of the young Dr. Charles Xavier. They need to stop Raven/Mystique from assassinating Trask. Moving forward, they were able to reverse the past and Wolverine wakes up in an alternate future. 

Movie Raves

By far, this is the best X-men Movie that I have seen. Story-wise and CGI-wise, this is one of the best in my list for 2014. I like the scene of Quicksilver. I think it's very fun and playful. The cast were superb and I felt like I was a part of their journey to save the world. It also makes me look forward to the next X-Men movie which is Apocalypse. In the extra scene we saw a very young Apocalypse in Egypt. I am very much looking forward to watch the next Marvel movies in line which are Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant Man, X-Men Apocalypse. 

Rating

I'll give this movie 5/5

Random Rant: My First International Beauty Swap

I am so happy to announce that my dream to have an international swap finally came true. Yeppp!!! I am so excited!!

I am already preparing my box for my dear friend Ludivine. She is from France. I joined this makeup enthusiasts group in Facebook and the goal of the group is to have beauty swaps from around the world. There are members from America, Europe, Asia and Australia. You just have to find your swap partner. 

Gladly, Ludivine was available for a swap. You also have to send your swap partner a set of questions so that you know what to get your partner. Also, you will have to agree with a certain amount that you two will be working on for the budget that goes with the swap. I am pretty much ecstatic about it. Our swap date will be on August 20, so I will update you with the status when I receive my box. 

Monthly Favorites: June 2014

It's the second day of July and you know that it's time for my monthly favorites!

Let's get started

1. Sephora CC Cream + Colour - I found a new way to use this product and so far I've been liking the technique that I've been using. I blend the CC Cream with my primer and what I've noticed is that it makes my foundation a little bit dewy. I like dewy foundations because it gives you that glow. You can use the CC cream as a stand alone product but I like using it as a base.

2. Beauty Blender Solid Cleaner - This is actually the soap that I use to deep clean my brushes and my beauty blender. I love the scent of the soap. It gives my brushes a fresh smell when I clean them.

3. MAC LE Enchanted One - The lipstick is a part of the Alluring Aquatic Edition and I am so happy that I have this shade. I consider it as my MLBB. 

4. Sleek I-divine Palette - I'm not sure what this palette is because I left the cardboard box back in Manila. In my previous post, I purchased this palette from Luxola together with my other brushes. I love this palette. It has a lot of neutral shades and it is very slim and compact. I travel a lot and I need light weight packaging to carry with me. I find the palette very ideal for traveling. 

5. Soap and Glory Hand Food - I super super love this hand cream. It's actually almost empty and I need to buy a new one. This is the only hand cream that I find moisturizing. Most hand creams that I tried were either oily or dry but this one works well. 

6. Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentre - This is the holy grail of moisturizers. No wonder PRO MUAs keep on raving about this because it works well. It eliminates puffiness and it makes your skin hydrated. Words are not enough to describe how good this product is...that's why I suggest you try it yourself.

7. Maybelline Falsies Mascara - I love this Mascara. This is actually a drugstore dupe to the Benefit They're Real Mascara. It volumizes the eye lash by giving fibers when you coat your lash. 

8. Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Chocolate - I know this is included in my May favorites but what can I do? I super love this product and it deserves another spot in my favorites list. The hype about the product is true. I know MAC released a similar pomade line for the brows but that I have to try. 

Disclaimer:

All products mentioned above were purchased by me. I am not sponsored nor paid to write this entry. 

Winner of the Back-to-School Giveaway

Hi Ladies! 

Sorry for the late post. I've been running errands for the past few days...I was supposed to post this yesterday.

Anyway...I used the random lottery picker to see who won the prize

Drum roll please.....

Myril Mae, you are the winner of the back to school giveaway! Please write your email address in the comment section below so I can email you and give your prize :)