HAULS: Aromaleigh URFP (p&c) + Missha Perfect Cover # 23

Hi guys! I just want to share with you guys my hauls of the month :)


Since the Skin79 incident (hehe can't think of another term to describe it lol) , I decided to sample first all the bb creams I decided I want to purchase. So I searched for sellers of bb creams in Multiply and hoped that I can find sellers who carry many brands..luckily, one of the sellers (Laraine) messaged me in my Cbox here. When I checked her site, she sells a number of different brands of bb creams and also some limited stock of samples for only P50 each sachet. This is a great deal fin my opinion coz a sachet contains 1g of product already and can be used for 2-3 applications (I think). Since most of the samples are already out of stock, I was only able to purchase 2 samples of Missha Perfect Cover bb cream in shade 23. I decided to try this because of the same functionality of Skin 79 hot pink (anti aging, sun protection and whitening). I like the fact that it has SPF42 PA+++ (which is way higher thatn Skin 79)..Laraine is so nice to include 2 freebies with my purchase: Missha Deep Cleansing Oil and Hanskin Hand Cream. She also ship very fast and replies very promtly to my queries. I hope she can carry samples of other famous brands of bb creams so that I can try them to check if I'm sensitive to them or not. But for now, I'm still on the testing phase of my Missha BB cream :)



I was also able to meet with Arg because our Aromaleigh purchase arrived already! I got myself a full size of URFP in Peaches and Cream coz I like the fine shimmers in it (I feel my face looks fresh) and also the oil control is good. I can even go out with just this on top of my sunblock when I go to work coz it is very hot lately and I'm always in a rush so I don't have time to primp up. I can say that this helps in keeping my oilies at bay for around 4-5hrs :)


It comes in this pretty wrapper with the Aromaleigh logo :)


I was able to roadtest the 2 together last Sunday. In this picture, I just tried my Missha BB cream and topped it with AL URFP in Peaches and Cream. No other makeup aside from the 2 products mentioned and my HG V&M lip detox :)

Pardon me for the wasted look..I just woke up from sleeping for 2 hours on a chair my dad brought for me..I just came back from a 10pm-6am duty (I just took a shower and changed to something cool) then we left to go to the party..although all I did was sleep and eat that day haha I'm just so tired and sleepy the whole time :)

here's MY intital take on MISSHA bb cream

What I like about it:

- has high sun protective properties (SPF42 PA+++)

- has whitening and anti aging properties

- scent is good..not overwhelming like with Skin Food Aloe BB cream

- looks flawless in pictures

- no white cast with flash

- staying power is good

What I don't like about it:

- hard to spread on my face

- has thick consistency so I need to use more amount of product in order to cover my whole face

- I look made up (which is not good iff for daily basis)

- takes around 30minutes before the color blends with my skin well

Watch out for my follow up review on this one once I tried it for 2 weeks..I'm crossing my fingers that this won't make me breakout :)

Guys, please suggest more brands of BB creams that I can try..here are the things I'm looking for:

- has at least SPF 30

- has whitening properties

- great for combination-oily skin

- great for sensitive, acne prone-skin

- may or may not contain antiaging properties

Thank you! I'll be waiting for your suggestions..till next time! :)

oOo

Oh! before I forget..I was so happy that I was able to try the famous Hiroshima Style Okonomiyaki...I'm so in love with okonomiyaki..I think aside from ebi tempura, okonomiyaki is one of my favorite Japanese food! It taste so great..It has veggies and meat and sauce and is cooked like a pancake..I really hope I can learn how to cook this from scratch so that I can eat it anytime I want.. This box of okonomiyaki was a gift from my dad's Japanese friends who are here for a short visit. They know that my dad loves this so they bought us a ready to eat one..all we need to do is heat it in a microwave oven hehe..we ate this last night and I was so happy eating it! :)

Venus&Mars New Vegan Brush Set

First, I will fulfill my promise of telling you all about what I have decided about my makeup hobby. Actually, what I'm going to tell you all is not new. I've had this feeling before... It even started from the beginning of my love for makeup. What's that? I always have a phase. I tend to like one particular product at a time then I will end up hoarding from different brands and before I can finish them all, my "love" for those products will evaporate and will change into something else. I started with lippies then blushes then mineral makeup then japanese products then came back to MMU then brushes, then foundations, concealers and last is eyeshadows. Now, my "hoarding signal" is telling me to focus on skin care. This is the reason why I'm not posting FOTDs and EOTDs lately..I don't have the urge to apply makeup..I don't even touch my newly purchased 88 coastal scents palette..which is kinda sad coz I have used it for 10x max and not all colors are used only 15 shades (I think). This is why I'm selling this palette together with my MAC pigment samples (that I rarely used too) in GT coz I don't want them to just sit in my traincase until they expire..So if anyone of you want to buy my slightly used eyeshadows, just leave me a comment here or in my Chatbox..I just want these babies to go to someone who will appreciate them :)

oOo

Now for the good news! Jamie (the owner of Venus & Mars) texted me yesterday that her new brushes are here at last! I'm so excited to see the pictures of these brushes..They look gorgeous! It is the first ever anti-bacterial brushes available locally (by a Filipino company) . Since these are vegan brushes, it means no animal cruelty, no shedding and no bad smell plus the hair will surely be super soft because it is one of the highest quality synthetic hairs available..For more info on these babies, visit the V&M site :)

I grabbed some photos from the site to show you guys what they look like..Check them out! I'm really lemming to have this set soon :)



It also comes with a pretty black pouch.

The pouch has a separate compartment for your makeups! This means, your brushes will be safe from dirt and you just need to bring one small pouch to carry all your essential brushes and makeup when you travel..how cool is that? Just right for girls that are on-the-go like me :)


I really hope I can save up enough money to be able to buy this thru their pre-buy sale..They just look so soft and sturdy..What about you? Do you want this brush set too? What are your to buy list for this month? Share them here! :)
Thanks for dropping by..Sayonara! Till my next post :)

Final Review: Skin79 Super+ BB Cream (hot pink)

Hi guys! It has been a long time since my last post..sorry..been busy and tired from my hospital duties..and also I've been thinking a lot about my hobbies..I'll tell you all about it on my next post..but for now, I'll be sharing with you my final verdict on the Skin79 Super+ BB cream (hot pink) . Here's my intial review on this BB cream :)

Remember what I told you about my skin acting up because of my skin asthma and the hot weather? Well as soon as my skin healed from it, I waited for at least a week then I tried using Skin79 BB cream again..My dermatologist told me to test the product for 3 straight days to see if I'm sensitive with a product or not so that's what I did..I did that 3x since I bought this product and here's the result :)

PROS

- has 3 functions: whitening, sun protection and anti aging

- very easy to blend

- not that expensive compared to other BB cream brands

- has no strong scent

- staying power is good

- my skin looks great after I remove this at the end of the day

- gives a very flawless appearance

- coverage can be controlled

- a small amount goes a long way with this product

CONS

- made me itch a little if the weather is very hot an humid (which happens with majority of face products I use..even with MMU and sunblocks)

- gave me small bumps (my derma told me they are comedones/whiteheads) whenever I use it for 3 straight days

- not availablle locally (only thru resellers/pre orders)

OVER-ALL RATING: If only it did not made me breakout I'll give this product 4.5/5..but since it did, I'll give it a 3/5.

WILL I BUY IT AGAIN? No. I'll just buy another brand of BB cream..I just hope I can find someone who sells samples that's good for 2weeks of trial like with BRTC..

I'm actually sad that this did not worked for me..I really love this product! But since I don't want to spend more money for skin treatments again, I'll just continue to look for a better one..I'm just glad that my sister loves it and she agreed to buy it from me hehe..I will now have a new budget to buy a new one :)

Till my next post! I promise to tell you about what I'm thinking about regarding my hobbies..Sayonara! (I want to use Japanese this time hehe) :)

I got a Friendship Award!

Thank you to Crystal and Ida for giving me this award! Mwah* :)

The rules are:
1. Take your award here
2. Put the logo on your post
3. Link the person who awarded you
4. Nominate at least 7 other bloggers
5. Add the links of those bloggers on yours
6. Leave a message for your nominees

I know that some of the names on my list have already received this award..but since there's no rules of "no repetition" I'll still put them on my list coz I believe they are one of the nicest/friendliest blogger I know :)

1. Nikki (Askmewhats)2. Aileen
3. Fuzkittie
4. Nikki (not just minerals)
5. Shen
6. Ida7. Crystal

Contest time!! =)

Who doesn't love free stuffs? If you are reading my blog, you are probably a makeup junkie too (just like me hehe) so this is for you!

You will get a chance to win the following great products for this contest..here are the prizes to be given away :)

1st Prize: A Mika Heart Shu Makeup Brush Set - Shu Uemura describes this super pretty set: "Carry your brushes in a portable Mika Ninagawa work of art! Purple on the outside with a special Mika red rose photograph lining the inside, the limited-edition brush case includes a set of four Shu Uemura brushes, each handmade in Japan by professional artisens for optimal makeup application for the face, cheek, eye and lip."

*The set includes 4 brushes: goat brush for the face, pony and squirrel brush for cheeks, sable and kolinsky brush for eyes, and sable brush for lips.

2nd PRIZE: Jurlique Maintain Balance Introductory Set - The kit contains a Balancing Foaming Cleanser, Rosewater Balancing Mist, Daily Exfoliating Cream, Herbal Recovery Gel and Balancing Day Care Cream.

3rd PRIZE: A Shu Uemura Lipstick Holder - This is a super cute case that will hold 2 lipstick tubes. Specially designed with delicate artwork, it also comes with a little mirror for quick touchups wherever you may be!

For more info on how to join this wonderful contest, click here :)

The Starfish Story

I just want to share this famous short story..I really love this story..after I read this for the first time, I started to look at things differently..Before, I used to be like the wise man in the story because I thought I can't make a difference even if I did my best in doing something and so I ended up doing nothing at all to help others..I started taking my efforts for granted..but since that day when I encountered this, I started seing the world from the young boy's perspective..I now do my best in everything especially in my profession wherein I'm dealing with people and life...I know that I can't please everyone and I can't help everyone to get well but I still do my best for each of my patients coz I know that in the end, even if I cannot make a huge impact for everyone in the hospital, at least I made a difference to that one individual under my care :)

I hope you can get inspirations here too..coz I really believe in the phrase that "We can make a difference if we choose!" :)


The Starfish Story
adapted from The Star Thrower by Loren Eiseley (1907 - 1977)


Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It matters to that one."

Review: The Face Shop XNS Falsies

At last! I was able to "successfully" attached my first ever false eyelashes..I didn't put both coz I just want to show a comparison shot :)

As I have read in Jheng and Nikki's blogs, The Face Shop sells affordable and natural looking falsies so I bought myself a pair. I chose XNS because according to the SA of TFS Trinoma, this is their most natural looking falsies. I got this for around P115 (I'm not sure but it is not over P150). This comes with a small tube of glue.


Just by looking at these lashes, they do seem to promise a very natural looking lashes coz they are not too thick nor too long..by the way, the SA suggested that I cut this to fit the size of my eyes so I did it when I got home :)

I encountered so many hardships before I was able to put this one lash on my lid:
1. I had a very hard time opening the glue tube. The tube is so pliable that I can't put a hole on it .
2. The glue's drying time to become tacky took too long. So I waited a couple of minutes before I can apply it on my lid.
3. It was hard to align the lashes. Once the lashes connected to my eyelid, I had a hard time moving it towards my lashline.
*note: I think the source of my difficulties is the glue LOL*
Here's how my eye looked with falsies..For a first timer I think I'm successful in the application even though I tried putting it more than 5x before it looked like this :)

Here's a comparison shot of my bare eye with the one with falsies :)
I curled my lashes to see if it will look the same or not :)

The one with the false eyelashes does look better right? It made my eyes look brighter and flirty even without makeup..What do you think? :)

Even though I liked how I looked with false eyelashes, I don't think I like the hassle of putting and removing it..I actually had a hard time removing the remaining glue on my eyelid after I removed the falsies..hmm maybe I'll wear this whenever I have special events to go to or if I'm doing flashy eye looks..but for everyday, I don't think so :)

a REVIEW on THE FACE SHOP false eyelashes in XNS:

PROS

- affordable

- easily available

- looks very natural

- can be re-used 4x (according to the SA)

- sturdy enough for beginners like me (it did not got broken even if I was not that careful in handling it)

- already comes in a hard case for safe keeping

- comes with a glue

- perfect for beginners who wants to practice

CONS

- the glue takes too long to get tacky

- it is very hard to remove glue residue on the eyelids

Will I buy this again? Probably. Depends if I want to play with falsies again in the future..I did enjoy wearing them so probably yes :)

Over-all Rating: 4/5. I'll give this 5/5 if not only for the glue haha :)

What about you? Do you prefer wearing falsies or mascaras? Which is easier to remove? And please suggest an affordable but good quality glue..thanx! Ciao! :)