FOTD

I got bored awhile ago and I was browsing Instagram and saw Kylie Jenner's account. I think of all the siblings, Kylie has the prettiest face. I love her makeup most especially. It's very simple but it's very seductive. I like how they do her lips. 

I wanted to copy her look but I was really not in the mood to perfectly copy it and I ended up doing this...hahaha :)) 

Anyways...I'll do another one and I'll see to it that it kinda resembles her makeup. I'm actually proud of this makeup because I used my drugstore items here. 

Face Prep: Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre

Face Primer: The Balm Time Balm mixed with Sephora CC

Foundation: Garnier BB Cream in Natural 

Eyes: Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette (Foxy, Tease, Snakebite and Pistol)

Eyebrow; Anastasia Beverlyhills Dipbrow Pomade in Chocolate

Contour: The Balm Bahama Mama

Concealer: LA Girl Pro Concealer in Natural

Highlight: The Balm Mary Lou-Manizer

Lipstick; Maybelline Watershine Pure BM31

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? 

April Favorites

It's already May 4 and you know what that means! It's time to post my official favorites for the month of April!! Yay!! I decided to really slim down my favorites into a smaller number because I want to emphasize that these really were the products that gave the WOW factor plus I used it on a daily basis. 

SO let's get started!

1) Soap and Glory Hand Food - This is really a major wow for me. I've tried and tested a lot of hand creams from a lot of brands ranging from Bath and Body Works, The Body Shop, Victoria's Secret and some other generic drugstore brands and this one really does the trick. It makes your hands smooth. I love this product so much that I also used it on my feet. They also have a foot cream but I was browsing Sephora in KL and it wasn't available.

2) Cinema Secrets Professional Makeup Brush Cleaner - Remember my quest for finding the best spot on makeup brush cleaner...well...this is my holy grail spot cleaner. My basis for giving the title "best" is that a) it's supposed to clean my brushes with minimal spray pumps 2) it removes the dirt instantly 3) it should smell good....and it satisfied all my basis that's why I call it my holy grail cleaner

3) Colour Collection Lipstick in Angelic - This lipstick has been my go-to lipstick when I was travelling. I always used this one because I like nude lipsticks. The color is a healthy pink-ish nude and I like it. It's moisturizes my lips plus I like the stain that it gives.

4) The Balm Bahama Mama Bronzer - My holy grail bronzer for the month of April. I used this product for contouring and bronzing. It's a matte powder and it doesn't give that shine that's why it can also be used as a shadow. I like that it is dual purpose and it is handy.

5) The Balm Frat Boy Blush - I like the peachy pink tone. I think Peach Nude Pink is the color for my Summer 2014. I've used this every time I went out on  a date with my husband during my vacation.

6) Ben Nye Media Pro Corrector Wheel - My Holy Grail product for the month of April (and maybe forever). I love love love love this product. I never have to use another concealer again. I'll give a separate review of this in the coming days but I thank the Pro Makeup Artists that I have been talking with the past few days and they advised that it is best to use a color corrector than a concealer if I was opting for a natural look and they are all correct. Love this to bits and pieces.

Those were my top picks for April! What's yours? :)

Hoarding The Balm Products

I've been hoarding a lot of the Balm products. I am so amazed with how the items perform. Quality and quantity wise, I can say I am in love with all of the stuff that I bought.

As you know I bought Bahama Mama and The Frat Boy before. I am so amazed with the pigment pay-off that I bought the other blushes like Cabana Blh and Down Boy. I will swatch and review these products in the coming days. 

I also bought the balm Time Balm primer. I love the texture of this primer. It feels like the Porefessional primer of Benefit. Not to mention it's a lot cheaper than the Porefessional and you get 1 fl. oz. which I think is a lot more than the Porefessional.

I am still thinking if I will be buying some professional makeup stuff from Kryolan and RCMA. I really want to have my own foundation palette for future use because I want to study makeup artistry. It wouldn't hurt if I had those things. I'm just struggling at the moment because I need to choose which items to buy because money doesn't grow on trees. Hahaha :))) I need to save a lot to get all those makeups. 

First Impression: The Balm Bahama Mama

Yesterday, my husband and I were strolling around Bukit Bintang and we found out that there's a Sasa Mall at Sungei Wang. My husband said I should look inside. The first thing I asked was of course if they had Bahama Mama...Luckily, they had one last stock.

Of course, I purchased it right away. It wasn't discounted. I bought it for RM 65. I think converted to Peso it is around PHP 850. So it's actually a little bit more expensive than the one in Beauty Bar because I know they sell it for PHP 750.

Anyway, I have been looking for this Bronzer for a long time. I heard a lot of good reviews and I bought the last piece yesterday. 

In the description it says : This matte Bronzer creates the look of beautifully tanned skin without any orange undertones for a fresh-out-the beach glow. Bahama mama also doubles as the perfect contour powder and matte brown eyeshadow.

I actually use bronzers as countour for my face. I like the fact that this Bronzer is matte. It's not shimmery as to other bronzers. It looks natural and it is perfect for my skin tone. 

I like the fact that it has .25 oz amount of product which I think is a lot. Good price for the quantity. Longevity wise I have to play with this first before I can thoroughly give a full blown review.

The Balm: Frat Boy

I was shopping yesterday and I came across a Sasa Store here in KL. I saw the Balm stand. Originally, I was looking for the Bahama Mama Bronzer but it was out of stock. Luckily, I found the blusher that I was looking for.

I bought the Balm Frat Boy blusher. I heard a lot of great reviews for this product. 

That is the front cover. The Balm products are cute. Their packaging gives that vintage feel. 

The back cover.

The packaging is magnetic. Which I like. It also comes with a mirror inside.

The blusher in pink peach tone.

The swatch of the blush on my hand.

The mirror which is reminiscent of a football field.

I like the pigmentation of this product. I think this will be included in my April favorites. 

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. 

Review and Swatches: Mary Lou Manizer

This was actually given to me by my husband coming from a quick trip from Malaysia back to Manila. He went to Sasa Shop in KL to buy this highlighter from the Balm, which I was raving about. I showed him a picture and to my surprise, he bought it for me. 

It has a cute packaging. I actually like all the packaging of the Balm. It makes me want to buy all their cosmetics. The Balm in general has a good quality line up of products. Their blushes, highlighters and eye shadows are pigmented and it has a lasting power. 

In their website, the description of this product goes:

Meet Mary-Lou Manizer, a seemingly innocent honey-hued luminizer that catches everybody’s eye. This highlighter, shadow and shimmer diffuses light so your skin looks softer and younger while adding a subtle glow.