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. 

dramafever.org

koreandrama.org

omonatheydidnt.livejournal.com

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!

Maybelline Baby Lips Color Lip Balm in Berry Crush

Hi! Being stuck in an air conditioned room for eight hours can do wonders for your lips. I'm kidding. ^^ My lips get extremely dry during work hours. And while I can steal lip balm applications, I can't really re-apply my regular tints. The solution? A tinted lip balm!

My sister got this for me, and she also got me the regular menthol version before.

The Verdict:

I loved the regular version of Baby Lips. Although I think Blistex works faster on really dry lips, the regular version did its job of moisturizing my lips well. This tinted version is no different. 

For 89.00 Php, I'd say this is a great lip balm to keep in your bag. It doesn't stain the lips but the color looks very natural and it keeps the lips smooth and moisturized. I was actually a little worried because I picked the "reddest" color of the bunch but it turned out to be a good decision because the color isn't too red so it doesn't look a little off. It just gives that "just bitten" color on your lips. 

Plus, it smells awesome. It's not a strong berry scent but it's there. ^^ It also protects your lips with its SPF 16. ^^

Any favorite tinted balms? Lemme know. Cheerio!

All Dolled Up Look #4: Nudes and Neons + 50% Off on Revlon's Lip Butters

Hello everybody! I'm back with another makeup look. My sister decided to take her old shirt for a ride and came up with this look that will be up in her blog real soon. She just needs the Internet connection to cooperate. ^^

As you've seen in the past three looks, and probably if you've come across my sister's blog, she really likes to don red lips. But this time, she actually wanted to try playing with nude lippies and see how they fare on her.

To break her blue ensemble, she wore some neon green accessories and her really cute Peter-pan collared shoes, which unfortunately can't be seen in this pic. But when she puts the entry up, I'm sure you'd see it.

 

What I used on her:

Face

Maybelline Aqua Gel Foundation in Natural Beige

Careline Concealer in Chestnut

Essence Fix and Matte Translucent Setting Powder (Review on this will follow)

Eyebrows

Etude House Drawing Eyebrow in #3 (Brown)

Eyes

Gold E/S (Wash all over the lids; slightly reaching browbone)

Dark Rust-colored E/S (Concentrate on lids)

Plum-ish Brown E/S (Line along the lashline)

(From Aido Travel Kit)

(I tried to create a vertical gradient look for the eyes)

In2it Waterproof Gel Liner Pencil in Brown (For tightlining)

San San Liquid Eyeliner Pen (Line around the eyes and wing it out!)

Cheeks

Coral blush from the Aido Travel Kit 

Lips

For the nude look, I put on some foundation on her lips to tone down the color and put on Ever Bilena's Matte Lipstick in Mauvey, which is a nice nude pink color. 

That's it for today's makeup look! Have a great weekend! Cheerio!

PS

I picked up two Revlon Lip Butters (Tutti Frutti and Strawberry Shortcake) yesterday for my mom and my sister at SM North Edsa. Revlon is having a promo on their lip butters: 50% off! So each lip butter is just around 200+ Php. They also have a few more items on sale. You might want to check it out! The SA said it's their promo for this month. ^^

Maybelline Pure Liquid Mineral Healthy Natural Liquid Foundation in #2

Hi guys! It's the first week in of the school year. And the seemingly endless rains are starting to fall. ^^

While I was looking around Crossings in Quezon Avenue about a month ago, I found this Maybelline Mineral Foundation and I was actually talked into buying it.  I gave my sister my Aqua Gel Foundation (also from Maybelline) because she ran out of concealer, which she puts all over her face. And I wanted her to try it out because it's so easy to blend and actually has a pretty neat amount of coverage. So I had a reason to find myself a new foundie. ^^

I bought this at 50% off (249 Php) for 25 ml. It's probably the yellow-est among all the three shades. The bottle is made of glass but it's not too heavy.

Pros:
1. I like that it has a runny consistency so blending it is a breeze and it feels light on the skin.
2. Color suits my skintone (I have slightly light-ish medium, yellow-ish skin) well. (10 points! ^^ This happens very rarely. No adjusting of color needed)
3. Classy packaging. It actually looks very sleek.
4. Suitable for sensitive skin.
5. A little goes a long way. I actually just need a third of a pump (so I need to be very careful with the pump because it dispenses a lot)

Cons:
1. It has a semi-matte finish. It'd probably work for people who like their skin looking dewy, but I'm more of a matte finish kind of girl.
2. Price is a little on the high side when not on sale.
3. There aren't a lot of shades to choose from. There are only 3 (I think) and the other two have a bit of a pink fair tone.
4. It doesn't provide much coverage or oil control. It has very sheer to light coverage. I tried to do a second layer but it kinda looked a little too white. Oil control is a bit short--about an hour to an hour and a half. Two hours tops! (for me with super oily skin)

It's actually a good foundation because it makes you feel like your skin is not too covered up and can actually breathe, but I don't think it's for me since I'm all about, at least, medium coverage and a longer oil control power. But if oily skin or coverage don't concern you, I'd suggest you try this mineral liquid foundation.

Cheerio!

May 2013 Hit Listers

Hello! Just a quick post here. ^^ I'm taking a break from my take home work. ^^ May has been a little, let's just say food-filled. I took a little break from purchasing makeup but ended up eating a lot instead. Here are just some of the memorable stuff for the month of May.

1. Epicurean Cakes
-I will tell you now that you need to order from Epicurean Cakes. My family is seriously hooked with their cupcakes! We have tried their Kitkat and Red Velvet cuppies and we ordered another box for this week. Read why we love these sweets.

2. Etude House Sweet Recipe Baby Choux Base in Peach
-I love, love, love this base! Although balms work better for my oily skin, I like how light this feels on my skin. Plus, it has some coverage that allows me to rock it on its own. (Read review here.)

3. Maybelline Clear Smooth Shine Free Pressed Powder
-I understand now why my mom is so loyal to this pressed powder. Not the best for me, but definitely one of the good ones. Review here.

4. Etude House Baking Powder Pore Cleansing Foam
-I sampled the BB cleaning kind of this line last year and loved it. This is the regular one and so far, I'm loving it. Review to follow.

 5. Jocarste Nail Polish in A61
-As of this moment, I've finished half of this bottle. This is one of the prettiest colors of nail polish I've ever seen. Review here.

6. Maybelline Pure Liquid Mineral Foundation in #2
-I gave my sister my Maybelline Aqua Gel foundation because she likes taking pictures and BB Creams are not always the best bet since most of her BB creams have SPF. I chanced upon this liquid foundation, which was on sale, and it's actually pretty good. Review to follow.

7. Avon Mousse Eyeshadow in Rose?
- This one is my mom's and probably one of the oldest and most loved eyeshadows I own. When it started raining around May, I took this out for a ride again because the soft rose color just reminds me of spring. Well, rainy season is more like it.

8. Glen Necklace from Envy
-I've always been a fan of layered necklaces but it is hard to find individual necklaces that would look good together so when I finally found a pre-made layered necklace, I bought it without flinching. One of my favorite May purchases. Envy is available at the G/F of Trinoma. ^^ and in Zalora.



asianwiki.com

 9. Gu Family Book
-Most of the dramas airing now in Korea are sageuk or those that I know of anyway. Although I love watching dramas with historical settings, not all are, well, enjoyable to watch. That's what makes Gu Family Book so great. Lee Seung Gi (the lead of My Girlfriend is a Gumiho and King 2 Hearts) plays a half-human half-gumiho in search of the Gu Family Book so that he can become human and Suzy (of Miss A), well, she's just a badass sword-wielding leading lady and definitely not your ordinary damsel in distress. What I love about this series is that it has quite a heavy plot but there's still humor injected. And I love how Suzy and Seung Gi's characters in the story are starting to have well a stronger friendship. I'm hooked and I can't wait to see how it ends.

facebook.com

10. Get It Beauty
-When we lost our TvN channel *sobs* and eventually our cable connection *sobs again* about a year ago, I was really saddened because there was this show about makeup and beauty in Korea that I loved to watch every Thursday nights but then I found out about Get It Beauty, which has basically the same concept. Here's a screenshot of f(x)'s Krystal, one of Etude House's new endorsers, in an episode. Watch episodes of Get It Beauty on YouTube here and here.

Cheerio!

Maybelline Clear Smooth Shine Free Pressed Powder in Nude Beige

Hi guys. Before the weekend finally, well, ends, I just wanted to share with you this pressed powder that I've been using the past couple of weeks. My mom has finished two of this pressed powder. I, on the other hand, have always been loyal to my BB powder ever since I found out about it. I finished three pans. ^^

But I figured I should try to see if other pressed powders can work for me. So I decided to try this one from Maybelline.

I had a hard time choosing the shade though because I don't want to pick up a powder that'd look weird on my yellow skin. I ended up picking Nude Beige over Honey, which had a stronger yellow tone, but a bit darker. A pan costs 199.00 but Maybelline now has a to-go smaller compact which is only 99.00.

The Verdict:

When I tried this on at home, on my entire face, I realized it wasn't an exact shade match. Well, getting my exact shade match in powders and BB creams and foundations is like an ordinary-miracle-and-once-in-a-blue-moon moment. But, the good thing is that it's not entirely off. A bit too light for me but with a lighter application or good blending, it's fine. I love that it keeps my oil at bay for a good 3 to 3 and a half hours and even has SPF. I hope that it had more coverage and a lot smoother finish though. Probably their foundation version does a better job in these areas. It is unscented, as claimed.

Price is quite alright for a pressed powder and it has a lot of product too. I hope they improve the sponge though. Because my mom has tried this long before I did, I happen to know that the sponge gets ruined easily after washing since the top part is glued on. If it were stitched, it'd probably be better.

It is a good pressed powder but I'm all for more coverage. I'd probably end up trying their compact foundation. ^^

Anyways, have a great week ahead. Cheerio!

All Dolled Up: Look#3 Brick Red

Hey guys! It's been a while since I've posted an All Dolled Up look. Weeeelll, after high school and college, my sister became my only guinea pig for my makeup experiments.. *haha*. She's fine with it anyway! ^^

Yesterday, we spent a bit of Labor's Day taking photos for her blog entry. And, she asked me to do her makeup. Here are two pictures taken and cropped from her files *haha.* With permission! As you know, my sister loves her lips red. She got that from Betty Autier, I guess. Here she is trying her new lippie.

Showing off her new COMPLETELY-NOT-YET-IRONED thrifted sheer top and her beloved mini-macaron necklace.

What I used on her:

Face:
Maybelline Aqua Gel Foundation in Natural Beige
Careline Concealer in Chesnut
Careline Oil Control Pressed Powder in Tan

Eyebrows:
Etude House Drawing Eyebrow in #3 (Brown)

Eyes:
E.L.F Duo in Olive (the dark green one as a lid wash)
E.L.F. Eyeshadow Quad in Drama (the black one for the outer V of eyes. The really really pigmented black eyeshadow)
San San Waterproof Eyeliner Pen in Brown (Slightly winged and dragged to the lower outer third of eyes. Or Kpop eyeliner style *haha*)

Cheeks:
Wet N' Wild Bronzer in Goddess (used as "contouring blush." Does that make sense?)

Lips:
M&Co Long Lasting Matte Lipstick with Moisturizer in Brick Red

*She's also wearing a hair poof/poofer?/bouffant maker?, a Japanese hair styling tool I picked up at an Eastwood bazaar.

Check out my sister's blog entry here. 

Tell me what you think about this look! Cheerio!