2012 Hits and Misses

Check out my "Hits and Misses" for 2012! 

I'll put a link if I have done a review for them already...BUT if there's no link, it means I will be reviewing it in the near future :)

*in no particular order*

BEST PRODUCT FINDS OF 2012

1. Google Nexus 7 

This is the best 7 inch tablet ever! Super fast and responsive since this contains the latest android (Jelly Bean 4.2) on it's purest form. It can also play full HD videos, pictures and music plus i'ts a good ebook reader. There's also a lot downloadable applications (games, programs, etc) at Google Play. 


2. Allue Lip Conditioner

This is one of the best finds I had this year because it is very affordable and it works!


3. Artist Studio Brushes

Again, you can never beat the affordable price of these brushes AND you are getting high quality product at the same time. Definitely the best makeup brush to start your collection.


4. Payless "Lower East Side" flats

*sorry about the dirty appearance of the shoes*

These are my favorite pairs of flats. They are really comfortable and is built to withstand everyday abuse. Full review to follow as these babies need more attention :)


5. Lush Hair Duo: Ultimate Shine Solid Shampoo + American Dream Conditioner

These combination is absolutely divine! Long lasting cleanliness and your hair will definitely smell great until your next wash. I will post a full review soon :)


6. Laser Hair Removal - Underarm

I got a gift coupon from Ensogo that entitled me 8 sessions of UA LHR for only Php3,000! I am done with my 8th session this month and I am just waiting for at least 5 weeks to gauge the result. Will post a more in depth review :)


MISSES OF 2012

1. Bench Jeans

Definitely poor in quality especially for the price.


2. The Face Shop eyelash curler

Oh my, I can't use this even if I have all the time in the world to be careful. The shape of the curler is definitely not a match for my eye-shape as it keeps on pinching my lids.


3. Skin Food Black Bean Eyeliner

This liner sucks big time! It is too creamy that even if you wait for it to set, you'll still get panda eyes after 1 minute. 

4. My Phone Cellphone

This has low quality...It's definitely a waste of money because even though it's cheap, it gets broken quite easily.

5. Lush Soak & Float solid shampoo

I can't get over the smoked scent and it didn't work for me either in controlling my dry scalp.

5. Ipanema FlipFlops

It's too flimsy to be comfortable to use for walks. It makes my feet hurt after an hour of walking so I still prefer my Havaianas over this one. 

6. Styli-Style 24hr Liquid Liner Pen

This dried up very fast. I believe this just lasted me 2-3 months..That's too fast and it's quite pricey too at Beauty Bar. 

Those are my Hits and Misses for the year 2012. All of these items are purchased and used this year and were tried extensively by yours truly before I decided which should go to which.

Thank you for dropping by!

Update: Korean Cosmetic Brands & Animal Testing

Good morning! It's Monday again and I hope everyone will have a good start for the week :)

This will be just a quick update. If you visited KARA (Korea Animal Rights Advocates) website, you will also see a list of Cruelty Free brands just like in PETA...Their list is shorter coz they are still starting but it helps customers like us.  To see their list of certified cruelty free brands, click here and here.

I even hope PAWS or CARA can do this too for local products in our country :)

 

I also have contacted KARA too through email to clarify some Korean cosmetic brands that I love but are not on both list and I already have received their reply so I will share them with you. 

Dear Gale,

Thank you for contacting KARA regarding Korean cosmetic companies and our apologies for the delayed reply due to the waiting time taken to hear back

from each company about the inquiry.

Here is a brief answer to your question.

Tony Moly – still in the process of confirmation

Nature Republic – still in the process of confirmation

Baviphat – has not gotten back to our inquiry.

Holika Holika – has not gotten back to our inquiry

Skin Food – refused our request for further confirmation about animal test on ingredients.

Lioele – do test on animals.

When the companies do not reply to our inquiry, we assume that they may carry out animal test on at some stage of the production or they do not care the importance of checking with their individual ingredients suppliers whether they test on animals.  

If there is a new company added to the list, we will let people know through our Facebook page.

Hope this helps you for cruelty free shopping.

Thank you again for your interest and support.

Kind regards,

Korea Animal Rights Advocates 

In addition to this email, here are some locally available brands that are still on the fence (have not received any confirmation from the company) according to the website home page:

1. Missha - Animal testing done on certain products but not all...They use animal by-products too like deer antlers on a certain line of their products. So personally, they are on the DO TEST and NON-VEGAN list.

2. Etude House - Regular staff says it's cruelty free but since Amore Pacific (parent company) is testing on animals, I can conclude Etude House tests on animals too. 

 

Check out Amore Pacific's statement here about their stand on animal testing. According to them, they are still on the process of researching about alternative non-animal testing but for the meantime, they are doing animal testing to ensure the safety of the products. For the complete list of brands under them, click  here 

I actually commend Amore Pacific for being transparent about their stand on animal testing. Just last month, they explained in their website that they do conduct animal testing for safety reasons but they will do research to find alternative methods. And now, they already changed their statement on the website and had given updates on the progress of their research. I hope before this year ends, they will accomplish their goal of finding a good alternative for animal testing and will declare they are cruelty-free by year 2013. But until then, no Amore Pacific products for me. Personally, I will patiently wait for them because they do value their customer and they have the heart to improve the ethics of their corporation :) 

*** If you want to inquire about a certain brand you love you can email KARA through their website. They do reply to your inquiry as soon as they get info on them.

I hope this post is helpful to all of you who cares about animal cruelty and loves Korean brands. Until next time, bye! ^_^

Thank you for dropping by,

Review: Skin Food Black Bean Eyel Line Pencil

Hello everyone! Happy Sunday! ^_^

As promised, here's a review of a beauty product that I have been testing out. I got this from my mom who got it as a gift hehe..My mom receives a lot of beauty products from friends and clients and she never uses them (my mom is really simple) so a lot of them tend to fall on my hands. Two months ago, I was able to get 2 Korean products: Etude House Brow pencil and Skin Food Black Bean eyeliner-- and I was using them as much as I can so I can give an opinion about them.

I will review the Skin Food Black Bean Eye Line Pencil today. 

This eyeliner pencil doesn't need any sharpener because you just need to twist it to show/dispense more product. It also comes with a built in smudger for smoking out your eye makeup.

PROS:

- It doesn't need to be sharpened

- It is very pigmented so it is easy to achieve a very black shade. Look how dark it is with just a couple of swipes!

- It comes with a smudger made of good quality sponge

- Very smooth and creamy so it doesn't tug on my lids (= less wrinkles)

- Can be used as a dark base for eyeshadows coz it can be blended quite easily

CONS:

- It smudges like crazy! An eye primer doesn't help coz even if I tried waiting for it to dry (I wait for 5 minutes before blinking normally) it still transfers on my lids and migrate on my undereyes = instant raccoon look.

Can you imagine, just 5 minutes after I've done my makeup my eyes already looked like a raccoon?! This is the worst eyeliner I've tried coz eyeliners usually smudges on me after a couple of hours because I have oily lids but this doesn't even reach 10 minutes and I'm on a cool place...eek! Can't imagine using it during a humid day. I will just probably use this as a dark creamy base if I do a tutorial coz I really can't see myself going out with this on my eyes.. 

OVER-ALL RATING: 1/5

I gave it one for the pigmentation, texture and the packaging but since I can't use this due to the notorious smudging, I can't give it a higher rating. 

Thank you for dropping by! Watch out for my review on the Etude House eyebrow pencil :)

FOTD @ MC 15th Anniversary Party

Hello! How's everyone? I hope all are doing good :)

It's been a long time since my last FOTD...I even can't remember the last time I dolled up haha ^_^

Anyways, I had the opportunity to do so yesterday because my fave Filipino author and friend Ms. Martha Cecilia celebrated her 15th year anniversary as a romance novel writer. I really had a blast at last night's event and I'm so happy that my makeup and hair cooperated throughout the evening. As expected of a big event, we had a lot of photo taking and those photos will be uploaded at Facebook and our fans club's forum (eirycat.proboards50.com) so you should always be ready to have your picture taken anytime. Can i just say it's a success? yup! It is a success! Kudos to the organizers because everything was perfect: from the venue to the food.. Till our next event Eirycats! ^_^


My OOTD/OOTN:


Here's my FOTD/FOTN:
NOTE: I used my camera's BEAUTY SHOT mode for majority of my photos and I forgot to take a regular shot before I left the house hehe :)

FACE:

- Ellana Minerals Sheer Velvet (as primer and finishing powder)
- Ellana Minerals Pure Blend foundation in French Vanilla
- The Body Shop Shimmer Waves in 02 (Rose)
- Skin Food Salmon concealer in 02 (for spot concealing)

LIPS:

- Tianuo Lip Oil/Tint
- Lancome Lipstick base (Clear gloss)

*beauty shot w/ flash*

*regular shot w/ flash*

After 7 Hours without retouching

*beauty shot*

EYES:

- MAC Paintpot in painterly

- Skinfood Salmon Undereye concealer in 02

- Ellana Minerals Conceler in Cheer
- MAC Cocomotion pigment (all over lids)

- Artdeco eyeshadow in Shade#20 (Crease and outer V)

- Makeup Forever Star Powder in Shade#902 (inner V and 1/3 of lid)

- Stila Smudgepot in Black (Upper lashline)

- Coastal Scents 88 Palette - White (highlight), Black (to set eyeliner)

- Ellana Minerals concealer in Cheer (undereye)

- Maybelline Volume Express Hypercurl waterproof mascara

- Avon Clear mascara for brows

- EO flexware contact lens in Hazel ???

I really, really , really love the beatuy shot mode of my digital camera! haha it makes my skin looks so flawless ^_^

Till my next post! I hope you guys liked my FOTD even though I have nmo practice for a long time ^_^

I'm back! ^_^

Hello everyone!!!

First of, I want to greet everybody a Happy Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year (Kung Hei Fat Choi)!!! ^_^

I miss you guys so much! And I miss blogging and blog hopping too!
Oh, and I'm so happy that I reached 102 subscribers already!!! I am so happy!! Thank you, thank you, thank you all for subscribing!!! I'm thinking of a simple giveaway contest for summer..I'm still thinking what to give out as prizes so please just wait for the mechanics in the near future..this is to thank all of you for your continuous support ^_^

Also, thank you so much for all the well wishes..I'm feeling a lot better now..Putting a hoodie really works in protecting my head from cold air :)

Me and my bf celebrated V-Day early (Feb. 12)..we really don't like going out to places where there are so many people..anyways, we decided to have dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant, A Venetto, and ordered Spaghetti ala Putanesca (I hope the spelling is correct haha) and vegetarian pizza (this is really yummy!)..I really got full that night so I was unable to eat dessert hehe ^_^

You might be wondering what he gave me..Well, he bought me a new swimsuit...we are planning on an outing by March so he wanted me to be prepared haha it's really sweet of him..He really knows I won't get myself an expensive one so he got me one instead ^_^

I also want to share with you all my very memorable weekend..My parents celebrated their 25th Wedding Anniversary this Saturday (Feb. 13)..We just had a small gathering with close family and friends and church-mates. It's really a happy day for us..After eating at our place, we transferred to the house of my dad's best friend (he lives near us..maybe four houses from my place) to celebrate the Chinese new year :)

Then, on Valentine's Day itself, we celebrated as a family..and also, as with the tradition in our church, my parents together with other married couples, renewed their vows to each other..this is done every Valentine's Day so we really look forward to it..but this year is special since it's my parents' silver wedding ^_^



If you want to see more pictures, you may click here ...We borrowed my cousin's camera for this special event in our family..you guessed it right..I still can't find the charger of our cam haha ^_^

And I'm so lucky to have an FOTD again! haha..My sister took a picture of me using her cellphone so the colors can't be seen that well but at least you will be able to see my face again haha :)

FACE:
-Beauty Credit Lovely Green Tea BB cream (I used Etude House Duo Fiber brush)
-Dayna's Minerals Foundie in G2
-Ellana Sheer Velvet powder
-Ellana Blush/Bronzer in Patience

EYES:
-MAC Paintpot in Painterly
-Skinfood Salmon Undereye Concealer
-Ellana concealer in Awake
-Coastal Scents 88 Matte Palette - highlighter and eyebrows
-MUFE star powder mix to create a salmon colored shadow (all over lid)
-Ellana MPM in Ethereal - eyeliner
-Maybelline Hypercurl mascara

LIPS:
-Petroleum Jelly
-Ellana lip color in Sensual (my HG lip tint)

And here's a shot with my new Ipod..I got it second hand and cheap from my bf's brother..it's in good condition so I didn't hesitate to get it..I'm so glad I did got it..I love listening to my favorite songs anytime anywhere ^_^

I hope this post can keep you guys for a while..I think I can blog another time this week and more next week (i'll tell you why next time)..I'm crossing my fingers that everything will went well ^_^

Till next time! Love you guys! Mwah*

Love,
Gale

Year-end countdown ^_^

Hello everyone!

I would like to share with you my most-used products for the year 2009..This is not a list of products that I just bought this year and liked but it is a list of products that I love and used continously for the whole year :)

In no particular order:

1. Venus and Mars Emu oil lip detox

- I keep on coming back to this lip balm..it really soothes my dry lips and keep it moisturized the whole day :)


2. The Face Shop Cllean Face White acne solution foam cleanser

- I use this 2x a day since I bought it. Keeps my face clean. Although I did not find any positive result for my acne, it still does a good job in cleaning my face :)
3. Shiseido eyelash curler

- It's not until early this year that I started to appreciate the power of a good eyelash curler hehe..before, I can go out with just powder on my face (lazy days) but now, it's a must to have my lashes curled + oil control powder before I can feel confident going out without makeup haha ^_^

4. Coastal Scents 88 matte e/s palette

- This is one of the products I bought this year that I really am grateful that I did not sell. I loved how I can create many looks with just this palette..plus, it is so affordable that I don't mind using it whenever I want to play makeup..very bang-for-the-buck purchase IMO.

5. Skin Food Salmon Darkcircle Concealer

- I love this concealer! I use this almost everyday since day 1. I love how creamy it is (keeps my undereye from dryness) and how good it conceal my racoon eyes hehe..and for the amount of product I got from such an affordable price, I can't complain anymore..this is my HG concealer as of the moment :)

6. Ellana Buffer brush

- I'm really, really, really thankful that my sister gave this to me last Christmas..After a year, its condition is still the same when I got it new. It did not shed, still soft and dense and big enough to finish the job fast. This is my HG face brush..I love this more than my other kabuki brushes :)

7. MAC paintpot in Painterly

- This primer is almost finished already and I will be needing a new one soon. Although I'm not yet sure if I'll get another one of this (it tends to dry out easily in the pot), this item will still have a space in my heart. It served its purpose very well for the last 2 years or so. Keeps my eyeshadow intact and vibrant the whole day. It's pricey but still a good buy since you'll be able to use it for almost 2 years if used everyday.

8. Mandom Cleansing Express Sebum

- I love this make-up remover! I use this every night to remove my makeup and the dirt and oil, accumulated during the day, from my face. This is very mild for my sensitive skin (no stinging sensation on eye area) yet still does the job pretty well. It's affordable too! I already have finished 3 bottles of this and I don't see myself changing to another brand anytime soon :)

9. Ellana Moisturizing Lip Color in Sensual

- This is my favorite lip color for this year. I use this almost everyday because it doesn't dry out my lips and gives me a lasting color like a lip tint. Aside from it being a mineral makeup, I also love the fact that a pot lasts for more than a year even if used frequently everyday. You really get the value for your money. I use this a lot and I still haven't finished up half of the product yet. Love this :)

10. ELF Eyeshadow brush

- This brush works great in packing color to my eyelids. After using this for a time, I stopped getting the urge to buy a MAC 239 brush. Even though it's not as soft as I like it to be, it still does the job pretty well and it doesn't shed. And since the price is so cheap, I can buy myself a lot for different colors. I'm so happy that I did not regret buying this hehe :)

That's it! Those are my top 10 products that I loved (and still loving) for the year 2009. I can really see myself re-purching majority of the products listed when I finished them up. I really am happy to purchase these stuff with my hard-earned money :)

This will be my last post for the year. Time really pass us so fast noh? When I wake up tomorrow, it will be January 1, 2010 already.

Thank you so much for being with me this year! I hope to stay in contact with all of you for more years to come. Happy New Year Everyone!

I wish everyone will be healthier, happier and more prosperous this coming 2010. God bless everyone! ^_^

I love you all!

Halloween look: The Wicked Witch

Happy weekend everyone! It is another rainy and very windy day for us so keep safe!

Anyhow, since it is the halloween season, I decided to join the craze and create a look. This is my first time to do "scary" makeup hehe I was just inspired by all the beauty gurus in Youtube doing crazy makeup for the holiday. I agree that this is the only time of the year where crazy makeup is very much accepted by everyone so I want to take the chance. At first I wanted a vampire look but as I go on, I got an inspiration to become the wicked witch. I love fairy tales and they are not complete unless there's a villain. She is always a beautiful lady that has a very evil soul. So yeah, I hope I was able to capture it on my cam. It really looks scary in person..I was even able to scare my sister this morning haha ^_^

My inspiration:

Here's my version of a wicked witch ^_^


Let's start with the eyes..Pardon me for the messy falsies..I still can't get used in putting them on but at least I can now remove them and the glue with ease unlike the first time :)

EYES:

- Skinfood salmon concealer

- MAC Paintpot in Painterly

- Coastal Scents 88 matte e/s palette (sorry, I was unable to take a pic of the colors I used bec. my cam died)

- The Face Shop false eyelashes in XNS

Now for the face..I kept everything pale white as to give a more eery look...

FACE:

- Sunblock SPF 80 (to give us a whitish cast)

- Ellana Sheer Velvet Primer powder

- Meow foundation in Flawless Feline formulation "my mix" (this is very light)

- Aromaleigh URFP in Peaches & Cream (to provide some iridescent sheen to my skin)

- Ellana Blush in Serenity (i used this to contour my cheeks)

LIPS:

- Petroleum jelly

- a dark purple lipstick topped with blue violet e/s from my CS palette

And here's my most scariest photo (IMO hehe) ..I think I can pass up as Sadako..what do you think? ^_^

Thanks for dropping by guys! Till next time ^_^

HAPPY HOLLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My look during my job hunting yesterday ^_^

Hello! How's everyone? I hope you had a better Monday than me..I really had a bad experience in Aegis People Support yesterday..I can't even put into words how frustrated and tired I was..I'll do a separate blog entry for it (maybe later after this post) so as not to interfere with my topic..anyways, I just want to share with you all an FOTD..I usually do this look whenever I need to have a nude-makeup or a classic neutral look and this applies in school, work or job hunting since you will get to be interviewed and such. So yesterday, I decided to sports this look instead of my usual colorful makeup hehe..and also I want to look as natural as possible since it was very hot yesterday and I don't want to look too made up then when the makeup melts due to the heat my face will look bad..

I used all MMU on my face since I want something light and since I'm breaking out too, I don't want to use a traditional foundation that can aggravate it..I have 2 huge zits on my cheek and I was so lucky to be able to neutralize the redness and make it a little un-noticeable..

FACE:
- Ellana Sheer Velvet primer
- Meow Flawless Feline foundation in Frisky Abyssinian
- Aromaleigh URFP in Peaches and Cream
- Lumiere blush in "Ditto O"


For the lips, I used Lancome lipstick in 108 and sheer gloss. I'll take a picture of the two.

EYES:
- SkinFood salmon concealer
- Ellana Awake concealer
- MAC painterly paintpot
- Coastal Scents 88 matte palette - I used 4 colors: white (highlight), light brown (lids), medium brown (crease), dark brown (upper lashline)
- Estee Lauder high impact mascara in black

By the way, I'm loving the Estee Lauder high impact mascara now because it gave my lashes some added length and a little volume plus it did not smudge that much even though it is not waterproof..the only downside of this product in my opinion is it weighs down my lashes so I need to curl them again..But I can live with that :)

Here are some pictures..please pardon my brows..I tried applying some brow powder and it did not work very well hehe ^_^


Till my next post! Bye :)