December 2012 Hit Listers

Hi guys. This is way overdue, but better late than never. =) I've been so busy prepping up new requirements for my new job, and it's taking quite too much of my time. Anyways, before the new year started, here are some of the stuff that made me happy.

1. Neutrogena Deep Clean Blackhead Eliminating Cooling Toner
- Out of all the toners I've tried, this is probably the coolest because it actually feels cool when put on, and it stays that way for quite a while.It also helps my pimples dry up. Review of this to follow

2. 4u2 dreamGirl Touch Loose Powder
-When I ran out of my second BB powder from 4u2, my shade was not yet available so I decided to try this loose powder type. It's actually pretty good, not much coverage but good still.

3. Ellana Mineral Blush in Tryst
-I've had this for a while but I it's only last month when I really started using it all the time. Read my review here

4. Lip Smacker's M&M Lip Shake Gloss in Raspberry & Milk Chocolate
- This one's given to me by my sister for Christmas, and it rocks. It tastes just like chocolate and it smells so good.

5. Bath & Body Works Twisted Peppermint Hand Soap

-This hand soap smells so Christmas-y that it was so perfect to use. Plus, it has particles that felt good to use for scrubbing.

6. Neon Necklaces

- These necklaces brings a cool statement to any outfit. I only have two for now but I'm definitely buying more. Hello DIvisoria! =)

7. Sungkyunkwan Scandal/Secret Love
-Most of the K-dramas I see or will see on TV nowadays are either melodramas or sageuk inspired. Sungkyunkwan Scandal is a gender bender historical drama that I actually enjoyed watching. Park Min Young and Park Yoochun rocked their roles, and Song Joong ki was just adorable.

www.fanpop.com

8. NCIS
-Of all the police procedural shows I've watched, NCIS would have to be my most favorite. It's funny, witty, and spot-on. It also has a set of characters that I enjoy watching. The Dinozzo and Mcgee tandem is just plain hilarious.

www.superbwallpapers.com

9. Nail Polishes
-I'm "reviving" my love for nail polishes, and I've purchased quite a few last December. Hopefully, I'd be able to use them all before they dry up.

getpretty.com.au

10. The Beauty Department (thebeautydepartment.com)
-From hairstyles, make-up tips to nail art designs, The Beauty Department has always been my go-to website. I've been an avid reader for so long that it's actually the first site I visit when I go online. Here's their latest post.

thebeautydepartment.com

I'll make sure to follow this up with my January list. Have a great day! Cheerio!

I Nailed It #4: LA Colors Color Craze in Transformer

Hi guys. Sorry for missing out on a couple of days. I'm in the middle of switching jobs, so a lot of things are needed, and they've been taking most of my time.

Anyways. Here's my new red polish. I just wanted to share this with you because the color looks so exquisite and expensive. I love red nail polish more than anything because I like the way it looks on my nails. I have a couple of red shades in tow and this is a new color.

I've seen this line of nail polish from LA Colors before. Their container reminds me of O.P.I.'s bottle, which is worth a few more bucks. Transformer is sort of a wine red color which looks like a deeper red when put on. A good two coats will give you a shade closest to the color in the bottle. I don't know how to describe the finish, but it's definitely not matte nor is it shimmery. The brush is also a little wider than most nail polishes I've used which made application easier.

This is my first LA Colors nail polish, and definitely not my last. Each bottle costs 89.00

Have a great weekend! Cheerio!

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Brightening Eye Perfector SPF 25 in Buff

Hi guys! Another weekend coming to an end. Anyways. December last year, my family and I checked out the Noel Bazaar at World Trade Center, like we always do around the holidays.

My sister and I found this booth filled with Western makeup brands that are mostly unavailable here. I can't remember the name of their shop (sorry) but I hope I'd get to see them in more bazaars because I felt like I spent more than half an hour there, just checking out their goods.

Anyway, around that time, I was running low on my concealer. Concealers are one of the products I only keep one or two of, and probably one of the very few products I actually empty out.

Then I found this Neutrogena Healthy Skin Brightening Eye Perfector in Buff. I got this for 300 bucks. 

Pros:
1. Has SPF, which I find unusual yet great since I don't think I've seen a concealer with SPF
2. Conceals fairly well
3. A bit water-y so it's easy to blend
4. Has a yellow undertone so it fits my skin perfectly
5. Has a semi-dewy finish so it actually brightens the eye area. A little extra makes it look like you've put on a highlighter
6. Applicator works well, to help in blending the product

Cons:
1. Not locally available. I don't think Neutrogena has any beauty products here except online
2. Has quite a sheer finish. You need around three applications to cover dark undereye circles
3. Pretty pricey.
4. Not advisable to be lugged around since it's quite a big stick

I actually use an extra swipe of this on my browbone, down the nose bridge, and around the inner corners of the eyes. It actually works as a highlighter. Not as shimmery as a highlighter but it works.

What's your fave concealer? Lemme know. Cheerio!

Food Talk: Pancake House

Hey guys. Sorry for not being able to update this blog for a few days. Anyways, a couple of days ago, I started to get really bummed because I can't seem to find a really good store that sells belgian waffles. A little shallow, I know, but I reaallyy love belgian waffles. If I were to choose between pancakes and waffles, I'd go for waffles. =)

I used to have my fix in French Baker but they stopped selling waffles...so. With all the waffle cravings, I brought my family to the Pancake House in Walter Mart. It's been a few years since I last went to Pancake House, and I realized I've never had their breakfast dishes.

My sister's order: Peach Waffle with Peach Syrup (179.00) 

My order: Caramel Banana Walnut Waffle (191.00)

My mom's order: Country Breakfast (227.00)

My dad wasn't able to come with us because of a last minute thing, but he did request for their golden belgian wafffle (169.00), which was just an ordinary waffle with heavy syrup.

The Verdict:

Their waffles are awesome. Period. They also have a particular flavor of syrup for each flavor of waffle. Mine was purple in color, so I'm guessing it was a grape syrup, which was nice. Their waffles were crisp yet moist inside and had a little helping of whipped cream.

And, they're big enough to make your tummy satisfied. My mom's dish was so-so. The sausages were awesome though. Too bad they were a tad small, like an inch long. But good, nonetheless. Staff was great too.

Generally, their dishes are a little pricey, so not the store to go to for a regular waffle dose. But, I'd still go back. I want to try their pancake tower *haha* and see if I can finish it on my own. 

Any waffle stores around I should know about? Lemme know. Cheerio!

All Dolled Up: Look #2 Smoked Pink

Hello! Well, when I said soon on my last post, I kinda meant really soon, like right after I hit the "publish" button. =)

Anyways, to keep this entry short and sweet, here's the look I did for my sister when she decided she'd like to take a picture under the scorching heat of the sun. 

Her make-up inspiration? A blogger I only know by the name of Betty. I think she's French because my sister reads off French comments right after she shrieks when Betty puts up a comment on her pictures. =) Betty dons a very simple almost-smokey-eyes look paired up with a faint red lip color in most of her pictures, which is what I tried to do on my sis.

The first photo is before she spent a few minutes posing under the sun and the second one is one of the extra photos. =)

List of used items will follow. But, I can't link any reviews on some of the items because most are my sister's. But if you would like to read a review on an item mentioned, shoot me a comment and I'll just borrow it from her for a test drive. =)

 So, here's the finished look. Sorry, I made her pout and look down so you can see the lip color and the eye colors better. =)

I used:

1. Nature Republic By Flower BB Cream
2. MAC Select Cover Up Concealer
3. 4u2 dreamGirl Loose Powder in #2
4. E.L.F. Brightening Eye Color in Drama
5. Nichido Mineral Eyeliner in Onyx 
6. Lip Smacker Lip Balm in Cotton Candy
7. Nature Republic Petite Cherry Rouge in Red Orange

For this look, I tried to use more of the grays and less of the black eye shadow to not make her eyes look too smoked out. And because my sister's almost always wearing a red lippie on her pictures, I decided to use a salmon-pink hued lipstick instead with a name that's a little far off. But if you do see it, it's like a faint red-orange lipstick but with a much lighter pay off. No mascara (because she bats her eyelashes like crazy when with contacts on) and just a simple stroke of kohl eyeliner on the lids and on the outer thirds of the lower lash line.

If you are an Instagram user and find fashion and food totally rockin', check out my sister's pics at @elle_september where she just keeps on making other people hungry. Did I say she looovvveesss taking food pictures? =)

Anyways, have a good week ahead guys. Cheerio!

E.L.F. Brightening Eye Color In Drama

Hi guys. So, today, I'm going to tell you about the E.L.F. Brightening Eye Color in Drama which was a part of the E.L.F. Smokey Eye Look set that my sister got for me for my birthday.

I'm not usually a conventional smokey-eye wearer just because it takes time for me to blend back shadow well enough not to look like I got into a fight. =) I do use browns and coppers because they're a bit easier to handle. Anyways, for my birthday, I made an exception and actually tried to do a black smokey-eye look, and this quad made my life so much easier.

E.L.F. actually sells quads like this separately. They are 129.75 each if I'm not mistaken but with a little different design (the shadow pans are triangular). Each quad comes with a dual ended sponge-tip applicator (which is pretty run-of-the-mill but usable) and a tini-tiny mirror.

Pros:
1. Clear-covered packaging makes it easier to see the colors
2. The mirror is tiny but can actually help with application. Tried it once on my old quad and it's not too bad.
3. Shadows are actually very pigmented
4. Can definitely help you rock a smokey-eyes look

Cons:
1. Packaging is a bit flimsy. I dropped my old one and the cover broke off. I hope E.L.F. revamps the packaging of their old quads like the new ones.
2. The metallic ones (the two shades of gray) are powdery so application can be tricky. The loose-powder-under-eyes will do the work.
3. I personally think that the matte white shadow could have used a little shimmer. It comes off just like a tiny little pan of white pressed powder.

Nonetheless, I like this quad practically because it's a live saver. Plus, it'd be fun to collect all the quads from E.L.F., and this might just start my collection.

Cheerio! BTW, watch out for my sister's look where I used this quad. Soon to be posted! =)

Food Talk: Frostings

Heylloww. Before the weekend officially starts, I just wanted to share with you guys the latest in my cupcake journey. Haha. I'm trying to well, try, as many cupcake shops as I can.

My latest? Frostings in Trinoma (3rd floor to be exact, just in front of Marks and Spencer). The first time I've tried the cupcakes in Frostings was early last year. I saw their stall in Market Market and was so curious with their mini cupcakes. Ever since I've tried their mini S'mores, I've been a fan. So I'm so happy when I found out that they have a stall in Trinoma, too.

When I'm trying cupcakes, I almost always end up buying four or more. Four for the four of us. =) So here are the ones we tried. The yellow one is the Brazo Mercedes (I think there should be a "de" there somewhere, but there's none) for my sister. The one with red sprinkles is the interesting Choco Lava for my mom. The one with caramel drippings is their Leche Flan for my dad. And of course, the choco striped one is their Caramel S'mores for me. =)

These are their regular cupcakes which retails at 45 pesos each.

I love Frostings' cupcakes because not only are they good-looking, they taste good as well. My biggest cupcake peeve is tasteless icing, and their cupcakes definitely has tasty cupcake icing, so no problem. My only comment about their cupcakes is that the base is not as moist as I want it to be. It's a bit crumbly. And their cupcakes can also be a little too sweet because some (like the S'mores and the Brazo) have fillings that make the cupcakes a little to overpowering.

But what the hey? They still taste great, so I can't wait to try more of their flavors.

Just a little photo of their "cupcake heaven" that my sister took to feast on. =)

Happy weekend guys! Cheerio!

Love & Beauty by Forever21 Glitter Gloss in Champagne

Hi. Here's my first review for 2013! This is one of my sister's birthday gifts for me. It was part of her smokey-look set.

I'm not much of a lip gloss wearer on every day basis because I ride on jeepneys a lot, which roughly translates to I hate having strands of hair sticking on my lips. But I did fall in love with this gloss because it has a different payoff.

Pros:
1. Sleek packaging
2. Not to sticky
3. The glitter chunks look awesome on the lips
4. Doesn't smell like anything. Or at least I can't smell anything

Cons:
1. The brush applicator is kinda stiff that it almost feels like applying the gloss with a stick. I hope they improve the applicator
2. The glitter chunks or "micropearls" as it says on the packaging, can be intimidating for some people because they're not simply shimmer glitters but actually a little bigger
3. The light pink shade transfers as colorless. I would have loved it better if it had a little color

All in all, this is a great gloss to rock if you want a unique looking lip gloss. Cheerio!

A Lot of Thank Yous for Charlie's First Year

Hi guys. Since today marks Charlie's Mirror's first year, I just wanted to say thank you so much for being with me as I explored the world of beauty, food, movies, and basically anything under the sun. I hope you'll stay with me for as long as I can keep this blog alive and kicking.

Thank you for dropping by, leaving comments, shooting suggestions and questions, and basically just making me feel that somewhere in this huge planet, a few people know about a girl named Charlie and her magical mirror. =)

FROM 101fundraising.org

I'd also like to apologize if I wouldn't be able to hold a giveaway in line with this first anniversary celebration. I see other bloggers do it and I have thought about doing the same, but I just wasn't able to. In any case, if sometime soon my time and budget would permit a cool-some giveaway, I promise to do so.

On a not-so-brighter-side of things, I'm sorry if I haven't been able to do reviews these past few days. I have been doing a couple of trips to the hospital since I haven't been feeling well during the holidays and until now. Nothing's conclusive with the lab tests' results yet, but I do hope it's nothing serious and I ask for your prayers, too. =)

Anyways, I promise that as soon as I feel loads better, I'll be posting entries like there's no tomorrow. =)

Cheerio!

Happy New Year!

Hi guys. Just a quick post here to greet y'all a Happy New Year! I hope you had a good 2012 and have an even better 2013!

FROM thecupcakeblog.com

Happy 2013! Cheerio!