Year End Round-up: Top 5 Foundations for 2014

Only 3 more days until we embrace 2015 and what better way to welcome the new year with a round-up of my makeup favorites for 2014. 

Disclaimer: The products above are not sponsored of any sort. I bought the items and some were given as gifts. All that I state below are purely my thoughts. The products work for me but it might not work for everyone. 

1. Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in1 

This was given to me as a gift. I've wanted to buy this foundation for the longest time. It is available in Manila but I just didn't have the time to go out whenever I was there. Sadly it's not available in Malaysia. My swap partner, Crystal, gave this to me as a Christmas gift. I am so amazed with this product. I love coverage. I mean, if you put on foundation, might as well go full blast with it. This gives you medium to full coverage and it is buildable. The consistency of the foundation is a bit water-y than most but it works. The only down side for me is that it has a pink undertone which doesn't work as well as others. It kind of gives me the white effect but I like this foundation :) 

2. Catrice Nude Illusion in 030 Nude Beige

Another gift given by Crystal all the way from Austria. I am so impressed with this foundation. This is a full coverage one. One tiny drop goes all the way. When I finish the bottle, I plan to repurchase. Catrice is available in Manila and also in Malaysia but I haven't seen any foundations here in Kuala Lumpur. 

3. Sephora 10 HR Wear Perfection Foundation

As you can see in the picture, this foundation is almost empty. Hahaha :) my most prized foundation of all. It gives medium to full coverage and it has a correct undertone. It also has a pump so it's easy to apply. Very creamy consistency compared to the Covergirl 3-in-1.

4. Makeup Forever HD Foundation 

This foundation is gives a light to medium coverage. Consistency is liquid-y (not the typical that I go for) but what I love about this foundation is that it is HD camera friendly. The best friend of people who wants to take selfies LOL. It hides your pores making you look flawless on pictures. 

5. RCMA Vincent Kehoe Cream Foundation

The big daddy of all foundations and the friend of every makeup artist. It does the work of Makeup Forever HD Foundation plus you get a lot of pigment for a tiny amount. You get 18 shades on this palette which is very suitable if you are a MUA. You can also use the shades for concealing, highlight and contour. What more can you ask for? Price is a little bit steep but it does the job. 

I would love to hear what are your favorite foundations for 2014! 

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. 

Angelina Jolie inspired makeup

I just want to share with you this FOTD. Since Angelina Jolie is all over the news now because of Maleficent, I saw this picture of her and tried to make an inspirational look

This was a recent picture of her during the premier of Maleficent. She's wearing a mauve-y taupe-y kind of look. She has brown hair and I have black. I wanted to re-create the smokey eye effect but I used purple, pink and black shades instead of brown, grey and black. Her lip color is also nude which compliments her over all look, I wanted to make my lips bright and used a bright pink lipstick with a blue undertone.

Eyes: Sephora Desert Sun Palette

Eyebrow: Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in Chocolate

Contour: Sephora Desert Sun Palette

Blush: Sephora Desert Sun Palette

Highlight: The Balm Mary Lou-Manizer

Foundation: RCMA foundation Palette

Face Primer: The Balm Time Balm mixed with Sephora CC 

Lips: MAC Playland Happy-Go-Lucky

Monthly Favorites: May Edition

Hello lovely ladies! Yeeeeeep! It's the first day of June...where did the time go? It went by so fast I hardly noticed it. Anyways, it is yet again time for my Monthly favorites (leaning more to beauty products) and I haven't used much cosmetic items that I really really loved except for the things that I will post here.

I only have five beauty products that I've been using mostly for this month. Other products are staples in my stash and I think I don't need to re-post the products that I've previously posted.

1. RCMA Foundation Palette from Digital Traincase - I've been on the search for a very very good foundation. I love my Sephora foundation but I'm running out of it already because I've been using it constantly. I came across Digital Traincase - one of the most trusted online shops in the Philippines; and I saw that they were carrying the RCMA Foundation Palette. I will do a separate review of this palette in the coming entries because it deserves a spot in my blog. These babies are highly pigmented and when you wear it, it feels like skin. So it's a thumbs up for me. I was supposed to use this on a make-up gig this May for a wedding and do the makeup of one of my friends but the ETA date didn't reach the target day. Anyways, I'm overly in-love with this palette. At first, i didn't know how to use it. I thought that the foundation was to creamy and I was using the wrong shade for my skin tone but I found the perfect shade for me and I've been using it ever since.It is a good palette for make-up artists because of the quality and the reasonable price. Get yours at Digital Traincase :)

2. Sephora Desert Sunset Palette - This palette was actually a gift from my sister last Christmas and it was only now that I played with the palette. It is not as pigmented as the Urban Decay eyeshadows and it often creases but it is workable with a primer. I actually used this on one of my FOTD which is still in the draft section of my blog.

3. Anastasia Beverlyhills Dipbrow Pomade in Chocolate - I have a separate entry which you can click here. I love this product. It replaced all the products that I use for my eyebrow. I heard that it is already sold-out in the US and that they are releasing new shades because some are complaining that the shade range is not as wide.

4. The Balm Time Balm Face Primer - This is a silicone based face primer and I like mixing it with my Sephora CC Cream. I've been using this for the whole month of May and surprisingly, it worked for me. Not much creasing but I needed to re-touch on my T-Zone area.

5. MAC Playland Collection lipstick in Happy-Go-Lucky - super love this lipstick. I don't know with you guys but I like using bright lipsticks specially this Summer. It is the epitome color (I don't know how to describe it well haha) for my Summer 2014. It is vibrant and it makes me happy. Love the color. It is limited edition and I am happy that I was able to purchase it.

What were your Favorites for the month of May? 

Sephora Collection 10 HR Wear Perfection Foundation

This entry is long overdue. I've been using this foundation since last year and I can say this is one of my favorite foundation.

The Sephora Collection 10 HR Wear Perfection Foundation provides medium to full coverage. It is buildable. It hides blemishes and decreases visibility of the pores. It also claims to last for 10 hours. What I like about this foundation is it has 15 shades from light, medium to dark shade.

I am in the color 25 medium beige. I also bought a dark shade in 45 tan for contouring purposes. 

I love this product because of the coverage it gives. It makes my face look flawless and it is actually a photo finish foundation. It makes your face look flawless in HD pictures/videos. I use this usually with a powder to lock in the foundation. You can also use this alone but in humid areas, it won't be advisable. 

I tested the product for 6 hours and here is a video clip of the product testing :

Sephora Brush Cleaner

So the other day, I was at Sephora buying all kinds of beauty products and one of the products I purchased was this Makeup cleaner from Sephora.

I forgot to bring my Makeup Brush cleaner specifically the Parian Spirit brush cleaner. It was bulky and I said to myself I need to put some in a smaller spray container so I can bring it with me for my vacation. To make the long story short, I forgot to bring the cleaner and I ended up buying this one.

First off, the cleaner has a nice scent. It smells better than the Parian Spirit. It has a lighter fruity smell. The Parian Spirit smells tangy and it gets into your nostrils. This one doesn't irritate your nose.

In the instructions, it says that you have to spray 3 to 4 times on your brush and then you sweep it on a cloth so that the makeup brush becomes clean. I followed the instructions. Bigger makeup brushes needs more sprays at least 5 to 6 times. I tried it on my powder brush and my foundation brush and it does not work as well as my Parian Spirit. I'm assuming it is because it doesn't have an oil component to it. The Parian Spirit has a bit of an oil component that's why it easily cleans the makeup brushes. It's also a bit annoying to spray the solution to the brush because a lot of product comes out from the spray nozzle and it doesn't hit the brush entirely. It goes everywhere. 

Sadly, I'm a bit disappointed with this one. Not worth the money I paid for. 

Haul from Sephora

I just got home from shopping and I have a haul from Sephora. I will post about the products in my coming entries. For now, this is a preview of what I bought.

Sephora CC Care + Color

 I'm really not a fan of BB creams but as what I said before, I use the product as a primer for my face. I think it makes my foundations last longer. A couple of weeks ago, sephora sent me an email about this CC cream. I actually thought this was the airbrush foundation because packaging looks similar. My husband bought this as a gift for our wedding. 

It says in the package that it is a CC Care + Color SPF 20 sunscreen more beautiful than ever. The scent of this product reminds me of the color collection BB cream. I don't know if all BB creams have the same scent but it actually smells the same. 

That is the back part of the box.

This is the CC cream. It contains 1 fl. oz. It also says in the packaging that it even skin tone, it smooths the skin and it gives radiant glow.

It comes with a built-in pump which is good. 

My hand with no product 

The consistency of the CC cream is rich. It does not drip on my hand which I think is good.

That's an unblended CC cream.

End result of blending the CC cream.

Overall, my first impression of this product is good. It has a good coverage. Consistency of the product is good. It has a nice scent. I think I like this product.

I will play with this more in the future and I will give an in-depth review of this in the coming entries.

February Favorites

I know it is a bit late to post this but I just want to share with you guys the products that I have been constantly using last month.

It's mostly Sephora products that I bought from Malaysia. I'm just so in love with all these products and these are all worth the money I spent for them.

Here's a rundown of my February Favorites:

1. Sephora 10 hour Perfection Foundation - my shade is in Medium 25 Beige. I love love love this foundation because it gives you coverage and it is a buildable. I used this foundation for our Prenup Photoshoot in Malaysia and I never had to re-touch my makeup. It was there from morning until we finished at midnight. It's good value for money. It costs about RM 69 = Php 966. 

2. Sephora 10 hour Perfection Foundation in Tan 45 - I bought this solely for the purpose of contouring. It works the same way as the other shade. It works best if you blend it and then put a bronzer on top for emphasis. 

3. Sephora Smooth Nail Polish Remover - This is a bit pricey for a nail polish remover but I love the fact that it gives a nice after smell. Your nails will smell good after using this. This I think is RM30 = Php 420

4. Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman Travel Essential Brushes - One of the best brushes that I've used. It doesn't shed. It is synthetic which I like because it is cruelty free. I think it is very durable and it would last longer than my other brushes. I bought this for P1,250 from an online seller. 

5. Sephora Express Drying Oil - this is my Holy Grail for my nails. It works wonders. Well actually if you are always on the Go and you need your nails to dry up quickly, you have to have this one. It is also a bit pricey because I bought this for RM 30 = Php 420. You get .23 fl oz. of product but you only need a few drops on your nails so I guess its not a bad deal. 

6. Sephora Nail Laquers in Beige, White and Transparent - I also bought this from Sephora Malaysia. It costs RM 26 each = Php 364. A bit pricey because you only get .16 fl oz of product. I said to myself it is worth the money because my nails usually chap off fast because I teach kids. It will be a miracle if my nails are still okay after a week and it did that exactly. So not bad for the price because of good quality. 

7. L.A. Girl Pro Conceal HD - my shade is in Natural. This is still my favorite drugstore brand of concealer. I bought this from the States for US $2.99 = PHP 134.55. Not bad because it works as good as the MAC concealer. I like the coverage of this one better than the MAC concealer but longevity wise, I would go for MAC. 

8. MAC Studio Fix Powder - my shade is in C3.5. I bought this in Malaysia for RM 114 = P1,596. I think the Studio Fix Powder is cheaper here in Manila because it only costs P1,400. Anyway, this is my Holy Grail Powder. I love the coverage. I would always buy this one and I will not go back onto buying other brands for powder. 

9. MAC Pro Longwear Concealer - I bought this from the MAC Cosmetics store in SM Megamall for PHP 1,000. Not a bad price because you only need a bit of this and it will go a long long way. It is a buildable concealer. What I love about this one is the longevity of the product as you don't have to do re-touches. 

10. Loreal Lucent Magnique BB - They said that you can use this as a foundation but I actually use this as a primer. It is white in color. I like using this as a primer. You only need a few of this to cover your face. I think I bought this at Watsons for PHP 699. I like the fact that it doesn't have any smell unlike other face primers that has a scent. 

11. The Balm Mary Lou Manizer - this is by far the best highlighter that I've used. My holy grail for Luminzers. I love using this product because it gives me a nice glow. My husband bought this for me from a Sasa Store in Kuala Lumpur. A little of this goes a long way. Whenever I use it, it gives me that subtle radiance. 

12. Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette - By far, this is the best Naked Palette and I've been using this palette ever since it came out. I love the rose gold hues and the eyeshadows are very pigmented. As to what I said before, I've always been an Urban Decay fan so this one is a favorite. 

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette

I have been wanting to write this review for quite some time now and it took me a few weeks to write this one from the moment I got the palette at Sephora. By far, I have to say, this is my favorite out of the 3 Naked Palettes that Urban Decay launched.

I needed to try it out myself to see whether the palette was worthy of a good review and I have to say, this palette deserves more than a good review. The box includes the UD Naked 3 palette and a sample of the 4 primers which original, sin, eden and anti-aging.


As per the palette itself, I like that it has rose gold hues in it (more of the pink rose gold hues). It is completely different from the first two palettes which were more neutral in color (brown bronze colors). The shadows are highly pigmented. If you wear it with a primer, it won't crease.

My favorite colors from this palette are Dust, Burnout, Buzz, Limit and Trick. I love that it is almost Spring-Summer and the colors are just in time for the season. The colors are just absolutely stunning and for me, it works well because I have a pink undertone. It flatters my skin well. I just don't know if it works with Olive undertone and yellow undertones.

A con that I can say I have with this palette is maybe the brush which is included. It would have been better if they made the brush similar to the UD Naked 2 Palette. I like the blending brush tip with the UD Naked 2. This one has a double sided brush with a flat brush at the other end and the other end is like a rounded flat brush which I really don't use. Another con is the sample primers included in the UD Naked 3 Palette. I was expecting that it would be like the travel size primer which was the same with UD Naked or the travel size UD lipgloss which was included in UD Naked 2. It would have been better if they included a travel size primer.

Overall, I love love love this palette. I am a Urban Decay customer ever since and this is one of my favorites from Urban Decay and I would recommend it to people who have pink undertones like me.