I Nailed It # 17: Bobbie Kaleidoscope Nail Polish in Lemon Souffle

Hi. ^^ Yes, it is another nail polish-related entry. ^^ I've been buying too many nail polishes lately. This one caught my attention because it was so colorful and unique that I figured I should try it out. ^^

I actually thought it was some sort of mood polish but as I went to try it out, I found out that the color changes depending on the temperature. ^^

The Verdict:
This is actually a very cool polish. When you put it on, the color is sort of a greenish lemon color. It stays that way under room temperature. When inside a freezer a very cold air conditioned room, the color changes into a greenish blue color. I wasn't able to achieve the blue color though. Maybe when you dip your fingernails in a cup of ice? ^^

It's nice to see my nail color changing when I go out of the office and when I'm inside. However, this polish is a little expensive. A 12 ml bottle retails for 79.75 Php. Still, I think it would be fun to try the other colors.

Have you tried this nail polish? Lemme know. Cheerio! ^^

I Nailed It #16: OMG in Matte Potion

Hey guys! The reviews for most of my nail polishes have been on hold for quite some time. Now, I'm trying to at least put out some of the reviews.  ^^

When matte lippies became a craze in my world, I started trying to get my hands on every shade I could think of. ^^ They weren't the friendliest for my lips but they looked awesome. So when matte polishes came into the market, I jumped into the "matte nails" bandwagon as well. But since I found the matte polishes to be a little expensive, I tried my luck with matte top coats. ^^

This one from OMG is my first. A 10 ml bottle costs around 18.00 Php.

OMG in Salsa without OMG Matte Potion

OMG in Salsa with OMG in Matte Potion

The Verdict:
What I have on is two coats of Matte Potion. It's effect on the nails is not as flat-matte as I wanted it to be but it does work. With a third coat, it becomes even more matte but still gives away a little shine. What I also noticed was it works differently on different polishes. I used a teal color once and the effect was the perfect matte nails.

For the price, I'd say it's worth trying. The great thing about it is that you can explore other nail colors without splurging so much because you can just use any of your available plain polish and top it off with Matte Potion.

I'd probably still try the matte polishes available in the market but for now, this will do. ^^

Have you tried donning matte nails? How'd you like 'em? Lemme know. Cheerio!

Food Talk: Go Nuts Donuts

Hello guys! Just a quick food entry. ^^ A few weeks ago, I got really curious about Speculoos, which is a kind of spiced biscuit. What is being fussed about though is the Speculoos Cookie Butter, which is like the creamed version of the biscuit. Then I heard about the cookie butter donut of Go Nuts Donuts, which is kind of inspired by Speculoos. So off to Go Nuts Donuts I went. ^^

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Since it was pretty late when I dropped by their SM North Edsa branch, only a few flavors were left in their glass counters. But I was glad to see that they still had a few cookie butter donuts (the one with the caramel-colored piped frosting).

I also picked up a few random flavors like their original glazed, oreo, chocolate, rocky road, and, I think the sugar dusted one is bavarian. ^^

So, on with the review.

The Verdict:

It's actually been a while since I last had a Go Nuts Donuts donut and I'll admit that my taste-memory is a little fuzzy. But I am glad that I found a reason to try this donut chain again because their donuts are actually good. Most donuts nowadays that I've tried are soft and airy. These ones are soft and chewy which is just as satisfying.

They're not very sweet either and the flavors are delicious. As for the cookie butter ones, I think I just found a new favorite. ^^ They kinda taste like gingerbread with the thickness of peanut butter. Soo awesome-sauce. ^^ 

A box of 6 is 215 Php and a dozen is 285 Php. You save a lot with the dozen. So I say go for the dozen. ^^

Btw, if you want the cookie butter in a bottle, they sell the smallest one for 99 Php.

Cheerio!

Just Sampling: Too Cool for School BB Foundation Lunch Box (Matte)

Hi! A few days after Too Cool for School opened at SM North, I decided to check out what their products are. I must admit that their store concept crept me out just a little. If you know the clothing store Mental, this is just a little more creepy. I mean I had dolls as a kid, but when you use them as displays or have severed plastic hands lying around, that's just different. But I must say, their store looks really cool. Scary, yes, but cool. Maybe it looked different for me because most Korean beauty stores I've seen have idols' faces around and they had animals and dolls. I think I saw a dino in one of their packaging.

Anyway, I picked up this BB cream sample. There are actually 2 kinds of this BB cream. The other one has a "glossy/dewy" finish. I just wanted to see how it'd fare on me.

This is how the regular sized version looks like. It costs about 900 bucks. But the great thing is that you won't just be paying for the BB cream but also the concealer and highlighter on the cap. ^^

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The sample is a little over 200 Php.

The Verdict:
What I love about this BB cream, aside from the really adorable packaging is that its flat matte. Not a lot of people like matte-matte products, but I really like it. Although it's more pink that it is yellow, it sits well on my skin. The color doesn't look off with enough blending. It also feels very light on the skin and the floral-ish/powder-ish smell is not too much. Plus, it has SPF 37 which I guess makes it okay for every day use if you don't spend much time out under the sun.

What I don't like much about this BB cream is that I find it a little hard to blend. The product's consistency is not really thick but without a good primer, there's a little difficulty on trying to even it out. I wish it had more coverage too. I'd say it has sheer to light coverage. Oil control is typical: on me, that's about 2 hours or less. This is also the lighter shade and the glossy one is the darker one, so shade choices are very limited.

This is a good BB cream if you really want that matte finish and it even has SPF. ^^

Have you tried anything from Too Cool for School? Lemme know. Cheerio!

Look What I Bought: Holika Holika's First Philippine Branch

Hey guys! I know. -_- I owe you guys a ton of entries. It just felt like I've been working for more than 12 hours every day, then just going straight to sleep these past few days. But now that I got to go home early *evil laugh*, I figured I'd start sorting through the stuff I needed to get off the "to-be-posted" bin. ^^

So, about a couple of days ago, my family decided to go to SM Fairview. We used to live so near there but now, it's probably one of the farthest malls from our place. These past few days, when I hear SM Fairview, I think of Holika Holika. I was no stranger to the opening of their very first branch here in the Philippines and I swore I was gonna go check it out. Forgive the Korean fan in me. So right after work, we braved the traffic and went to SM Fairview.

Here's a couple of stuff I picked up, just to give you a sneak of what would probably be put up for reviews on the coming weeks. ^^

I actually had a lot in my cute purple jelly shopping basket but since my wallet was wailing of pain and literal emptiness *haha,* I just ended up buying a filler/moisturizing balm and apple mint tea mask for myself, a facial foam and sweet milk tea mask for my sister, and a feet peeling set for my mom. My mom loves this set. This is her first from Holika Holika. She has tried the one from Tony Moly. I think she finished three boxes of that one. ^^

The cute purple butterfly pen and moisturizer samples are freebies. Too bad they don't have a membership card yet. They don't come in a paper bag but an eco-bag. ^^

P.S. My sister stole a few air kisses from Jung Il Woo's (49 Days, Take Care of The Young Lady, Flower Boy Ramyun Shop) standee.  I just had to say that. ^^ Park Shin Hye (He's/You're Beautiful, You've Fallen for Me/Heartstrings, Flower Boy Next Door) is also an endorser.

BTW, if you're all about purple, you'd love Holika Holika.

I'm definitely coming back for the polishes and the lippies so I hope they'd have a branch much nearer to my place. Anyways. Cheerio!

I Nailed It #15: Red Cuppies

Hi. This will just be a short nail art entry. I'm actually craving for cupcakes as of the moment hence the design. ^^

What I used: Etude House Look at My Nails in Strawberry Milk, OMG in Matte Potion, and OMG in Salsa

I put on two coats of Salsa on my nails, Strawberry Milk for the cupcake icing and cup stripes and the exclamation marks. I just thought the exclamation marks work as accents. I put on a coat of Matte Potion as a top coat. It's not as matte it should be because the really matte effect shows when I put on 2-3 coats. ^^

Now, I really am hungry. Enjoy the rest of your day! Cheerio!

Charlie's Special: Lil' Whims

Hello. Again. This one is a different post. I don't normally post anything technology- related because I'm kind of a tech-dunce, if there is such a person. Say in taking pictures. I know how to point...and shoot. Oh, I know how to work the zoom thing. Just don't ask me to do anything else. My knowledge only goes as far as what we've been taught in photography class. And those I remember. ^^

Anyhoo. My sis is quiiiiiiiite different when it comes to well, cameras. My sister and my parents went to Lil' Whims in Makati. My sister was looking for a few accessories for her Instax Mini 7s, canvassing for a Instax Mini 8, and well, she just really wanted to check out this camera place.

These are their Instax Minis. The Mini 8s are at the top shelf and the Hello Kitty ones (which are the Mini 7S) are there at the bottom. Their Instax Minis are priced at around 5,000 to 6,000 Php. They also have accessories, like jelly casings and leather bags for the Instax Minis.

And these are their lomo cameras. Their lomo cameras are priced starting at 750 to about 3,000 bucks. ^^

And here's my sister's "haul." Everything was bought at Lil' Whims except for the Mini 8. The Instax bags are around 400-2000 Php. They also have macro lens and filters and negative films for the lomo cameras.

Okay, this lomo robot cam is cute but I'm terrified to use it because it seems complicated. I like looking at this though. ^^

These are their Instax stickers that retails for 180 bucks a pack. ^^ Their printed films are priced at around 580-800 bucks.

 If you're a camera junkie like my sister, go visit Lil' Whims at The Collective 7274 Malugay St. San Antonio VIllage, Makati. They're open during Tuesdays-Saturdays, 10 am-7pm. The shop looks very cool and the one who attended to my sister was very nice, at least she said so. ^^Next time, I'm coming with!

You can visit their website/online shop: www.polaroidph.com. Cheerio!

Food Talk: Cobo: Awesome Possibiliteas

Hi! With all the milk tea stops popping out like daisies, I actually wish that my body would accept this concoction so I could join the craze. I love the taste of milk tea despite its lack of health benefits according to a doctor we interviewed once-in-college *long long story*. But, I don't know why, I get dizzy when I drink milk tea. Maybe wrong choice of flavor? Anyway, that doesn't stop me from trying. I just have to make sure to immediately go home afterwards or better yet, get it to-go and just drink it at home. ^^

A few days ago, we found ourselves in Ever Commonwealth and I saw Cobo. It was so colorful and inviting so I knew I had to try something.

Mango Peach (65.00) with Bursting Bubbles (15.00) and Wintermelon Milk Tea (75.00)

The Verdict:

I wasn't feeling particularly well that day so I didn't want to risk ordering a milk tea so I went fruit-tea instead. I had the mango peach with bursting bubbles for add-ons and my sister had a plain wintermelon tea. Both were at average sugar level. They were actually pretty big, given that this is their smallest size.

I'd have to admit that the taste of the mango peach kinda threw me off at first because I could taste flowers, specifically sampaguita. But when I chewed on, well it actually can't be chewed on since the bubbles were like plastic bubble wrap filled with sweet mango juice, it made the tea taste a whole lot better. In the end, I actually liked my drink. 

My sister liked the wintermelon milk tea but she found it a little bland and wished she had the sugar level at intense. But because it was really ice cold, she enjoyed it a lot.

For the price and taste, I'd say Cobo's teas are worth coming back for. Plus, their mascot is so cute. Doesn't their mascot look like Chicken Little? 

You can find Cobo: Awesome Possibilities at the G/F of Ever Commonwealth. Check out their other branches in their Facebook page. ^^ I think they just opened a branch in SM North Edsa last week. ^^ *happy dance*

Cheerio!

July 2013 Hit Listers

Hey! I owe you guys my list of July Favorites. Fair warning though because this might be a little too Korean since four of the dramas I've been watching ended last week *sobs* and they made my July happy. Anyway, here goes my July Hit Listers! ^^

askkpop.com

 1. GLAM (Girls, Be Ambitious)
-Although I'm more of a solo Korean artist fan (read: G.Na, Ailee, IU) than a girl band fan, I can't help but loving GLAM. Zinni, Miso, Jiyeon, and Dahee have incredibly unique voices. At least in my opinion. I discovered them through Dahee (lower right) who plays Kim Nana, in the 12-episoder Monstar. They've got awesome pipes and sound. 

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2. Heartless/Cruel City, Shark, and I Hear Your Voice
-I wanted to put them in three separate numbers but couldn't since that would be unfair to my other favorites. ^^ They all ended during the same week. Heartless City on a Tuesday, Shark on a Tuesday too, I Hear Your Voice on Thursday and Monstar on Friday. It kinda broke my heart actually but I think out of all these K-dramas, I Hear Your Voice aired and ended the best. Although Heartless City and Shark were both dramas that made me clutch my heart and gasp for air after occasional episodes, they weren't as strong as I Hear Your Voice that is just plain crazy in terms of intense plot and story pacing. Every episode ends with a I-hope-you'll-survive-until-next-week cliffhanger.

3. Usamimi Mini Clips
-I got this from C.N.A. and I absolutely love them. I really can't wear huge usamimi clips when I go to work. I mean, I can swing the huge bows like I always do but usamimi clips just stand out. Literally. So I wear this instead. Cute but not too loud.

4. OMG in Strobe
-As you've probably read from my recent nail art works, I really like this polish. It has chunky glitters but they're not foil-like so it works as a top coat, without destroying your design. I'll put up a review on this when I can.

5. OMG Matte Potion
-First, there were matte lippies and now, it seems like matte nails are also in. I once thought of buying a couple of matte polishes but then I saw this and thought this would be less expensive since I could put on whatever polish I have and make it have a matte finish for only 18.00 bucks a bottle. To be reviewed soon.

6. Retractable Brush from Landmark
-When it comes to brushes, Landmark has really good ones. I've had this for a couple of months now but never got the chance to review it while it still looked good. Now, it has scratches all over. :( But it works great for applying powder and it's handy and oh-so-soft. ^^

7. Revlon Colorstay Whipped Creme Makeup
- As of the moment, this is the best foundation I've tried. It doesn't melt or get wiped away easily and the shade is perfect for me.

8. Maybelline Baby Lips Color in Berry Crush
-My go-to lip balm as of the moment. It gives the lips the most natural-looking color and it moisturizes, too. ^^

9. Darkness Paris Auto Eyebrow Pencil in Brown
-For 80 bucks, this is a great eyebrow pencil to keep. The color payoff is great, it stays on the whole day, and the spoolie is very helpful in keeping the eyebrow hairs in shape. ^^

10. Nescafe Cappuccino with Choco Sprinkles
-I don't mainline on caffeine but when I need my coffee fix, especially at work, I need this. It's probably the only coffee variant I really, really liked and because it foams up and has chocolate "powder" with it, I get to make an "abstract" foam art before I drink up. ^^

So that's it! What made your July happy? Shoot me a message. Cheerio!

Revlon Color Stay Whipped Creme Foundation in Natural Ochre + Gavino's Japanese Donuts now in Landmark, Trinoma!

Hey guys! So earlier last month, I was able to chance upon the 50% off promo of Revlon. In June, I was able to purchase two of their famous lip butters for half the price. And last July, it was their whipped foundation on sale. ^^ I couldn't pass it up since I wanted to try it and it was on sale. I think this 50% off promo of theirs is for the entire year since according to the SA, this August, it will be a different product altogether. I don't know what is on sale this time though. Aaaand, I'm not quite sure I want to know because it's creating holes in my wallet. ^^

Natural Beige/Ochre was the shade given to me by the SA. I have yellow-ish skin and actually picked up their Caramel shade, but the SA said it was too dark for me. I'm not sure if this is the lightest of their yellow-toned shades. But I told her I was acidic, and this was the shade she gave me. 

Pros:

1. I love the texture of this foundation. I actually expected it to feel heavy and thick since it's claiming a 24hr-stay. It's actually just a little thicker than whipped cream and when you touch the product in the jar, it actually gives a little bounce.

2. Although I can't vouch for it's 24hr-stay because I can't stand having any makeup on for 24 hrs but I will say that it lasts the longest out of all the foundations or BB creams I've tried. I usually work for around 12 hrs and when I get home, the foundation is still there. No melting experienced.

3. The shade is perfect for me. Although it's too light at first, I just have to wait a little for it to oxidize and darken a bit.

4. Blending is no problem (I have used my fingers, sponge, and a flat top brush to put this on) although it takes a while.

5. Coverage is awesome. I'd say around medium to heavy. Light spots or small scars can easily be covered.

6. Matte finish.

Cons:

1. You can't bring this around with you, unless you're okay with lugging around a jar that's insanely heavy.

2. 975 is a little beyond of what I usually spend on foundations and such. So if it wasn't on sale, I probably would've looked away. ^^

3. My officemate tried this and was disappointed because it "magnifies" flaky dry skin. Since I didn't have any peeling skin at the moment, I didn't witness this.

4. No spatula! I absolutely dread having to dip my fingers into the jar so sometimes I just tilt it a bit so a little foundation goes on that white plastic cover and I use that. Or I pick up my spatula and put some on a palette.

5. Oil control is so-so. I'd say about 3-4 hours tops. On me, it's a little less, say 2-3 hours? ^^

This foundation tops my list in terms of coverage and staying power. I would have loved it more if it had more oil control power and if it came with a spatula. Nonetheless, if you have normal or oily skin, this might work for you. As for those who have dry skin, I'd suggest you put on some good moisturizer first or just find a better alternative since you might find this a little troublesome if it emphasizes the dryness of the skin.

Have you tried this foundation? Lemme know. Cheerio!

PS.

My sister was screaming about Gavino's. Because they're now available at Landmark, Trinoma. I think it's somewhere near the grocery, but I still have to check. Nonetheless, they're there. I'll update you guys. ^^