A quick purple FOTD =)

I just wanted to share my makeup look yesterday during the Go Association event :)

PRODUCTS USED:

FACE

- Hada Labo BB Whitening Cream #1 + Etude House Precious Mineral BB Cream #2 (50-50)

- Ellana Sheer Velvet in White Chocolate

- The Body Shop Shimmer Waves in 02 Rose

EYES

- LA Girl HD Concealer in Creamy Beige

- MakeUp Forever Star Powder in 927 (all over lid)

- The Body Shop Eyebrow Powder (both for eyebrows and light brown for crease)

- Tony Moly Backstage gel liner in Black 01

- Yves Rocher Mascara in Black

LIPS 

- Watsons tinted lipbalm in Cherry

- Lancome lipstick in 284 

*If you're interested to read my review on the individual products I've used in this FOTD, I included some links on those that I have reviewed already so just click away :)

Disclaimer: As you might have noticed, even though I am now going for cruelty free products, I am still using my previously bought makeup from brands that do test on animals (like Lancome and Etude House). It would be a waste of money if I throw them away or don't use them so I am trying my best to use them all up lately so I can clear my makeup collection sooner. However, I did stop purchasing from these brands last year and will continue to stay away from brands that do animal testing.

Review: Ellana Clean It Up Oil-Free Brush Cleaner

Hello everyone! ^_~

Today, I will be reviewing an oil-free brush cleaner from the brand Ellana Minerals Cosmetics. As a makeup enthusiast, I use a lot of brushes on a daily basis. It is actually quite hard to wash them everyday so I needed something to quickly clean them in between washes and so I ended up with this brush cleaner.

Ellana Clean It Up Oil-free Brush Cleaner

INGREDIENTS: Cyclomethicone, Tea trea oil, Triclosan, Fragrance, Phenoxyethanol

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT IT:

- Does a good job of spot cleaning the brushes in between washing.

- The brushes dries quickly so you can use the brushes again after a couple of minutes.

- It is mild enough so it doesn't damage the bristles of the brushes.

- This contains tea tree oil that fights bacteria. 

- This comes in a pump/atomizer type plastic bottle and it's great in controlling the amount of product you will use for each brush you clean.

- Affordable. This 60ml bottle costs Php170 only and the 120ml is Php320.

- Available locally and is made in the Philippines.


WHAT I DON'T LIKE:

- I hate the scent! It is so strong and it stays on my brushes for quite some time until I need to wash them with baby shampoo. I learned about this when I used this cleaner on my kabuki brush =/

- I don't think this is meant to sanitize face brushes because the fragrance can cause irritation on sensitive skin.


OVER-ALL RATING: 3/5

I can't use this as frequent as I want because of the scent. I am in search for a better brush cleaner.


WILL I REPURCHASE? Definitely not. I can't even finish a small bottle because I can't use it. 

What's your go to brush cleaner? Please share them at the comment section below. I would love to know which brand works great for spot cleaning. 

Thanks for dropping  by!

The magic of makeup

Hello! I have tweeted earlier today that I will be doing a makeup tutorial and upload it tonight but something went wrong during the whole process and I decided to try again another day... I really wanted to film a tutorial to see if I have improved since the last I did it so yeah.

So today, I will be doing a post about what makeup can do to improve our over-all appearance for a party, for example. Here's what I came up with. Guess what I did to make it special ^_^

The other half only has light foundation, concealer and a lip balm. It is very natural and good for everyday but the other side is perfect for parties. It still looks simple and not over the top but I added some things to make my assets more enhanced.

Have you guessed what I used? If you thought false eyelashes, eyebrows and circle lenses then you are correct. Grooming my brows and filling in the gaps to make it look cleaner and frame my face better is one of the steps I just learned last month. I never knew that filled in brows looks better haha I thought I don't neet it coz I have naturally bushy brows but I guess I', wrong.

I also chose to use a brown colored contact lenses instead of the blue or green ones because I didn't want to look too fake. Although I love colored contacts because they are fun (if you noticed from my older posts), but using contact lenses with almost the same shade as my natural color makes it hard for people to guess what I did to look prettier and I learned that I prefer it that way hehe. It actually worked because my mom once told me she can't pinpoint what I did but I look different (We went to a formal event that time) and a lot of people complimented me whenever I use my brown lenses.

Adding false eyelashes also opened up my peepers without me worrying of looking like a raccoon.. I usually don't apply mascara if I have a choice because I have very oily lids and I usually ends up looking like an emo at the end of the day because of that. But I don't suggest using falsies everyday because the glue can make your lashes a lot thinner in the long run coz you can sometimes pull out the lashes during removal.

Products used:

FACE:

Holika Holika Petit Clearing BB Cream

Tony Moly Berry Lovely Tip Concealer in #1

Ever Bilena pink powder blush (no shade name on the palette)

Ellana Minerals HD Powder

EYES:

EO contact lenses in honey (grade 3.50 both eyes...I think I needed to upgrade to 3.75)

Tony Moly Berry Lovely Tip Concealer in #1

MOD Minerals in Splendor (all over the lids)

Coastal Scents white eyeshadow from 88 matte palette (as highlight)

Coastal Scents black eyeshadow from 88 matte paletter (for smudging the liner and on lower lashline)

Tony Moly Backstage gel liner in black 01

MUFE star powder in 902 (inner corners and lower lashline)

Generic false eyelashes

Etude House eyebrow pencil in gray

LIPS:

Victoria's Secret lipgloss in Embrace

You see, you don't need a lot of products to enhance your natural beauty. Just choose one part of your face you want to emphasize and concentrate on that. I chose my eyes coz 99% of the time I wear eyeglasses and whenever I have an event to go to I wanted to show them off hehe. 

What about you guys? What part of your face do you want to emphasize more when you do your makeup? Share them on the comment section below. Thank you for dropping by!  ^_^

Tutorial: Night Out Makeup

Happy Monday everyone! It's a rainy day today so I stayed home the whole afternoon. I woke up this morning with an urge to do a makeup tutorial so I created one when I got back home from doing errands. I wanted to do a very dark makeup look since I don't think I have ever done one in a long while, so yeah, I hope you guys like it! ^_^

Let's start with a clean, moisturized face.

Apply foundation or BB cream. I used Baviphat Magic Girls + BB cream shade 1 in this tutorial. I applied it using my Etude House stippling brush.

Conceal undereye cirles. I used Tony Moly Berry Lovely Girl Tip Concealer in shade 1. Just pat the concealer using your ring finger. I love this concealer for the undereyes because it can be build up without caking.

Also use this highlighting concealer for your nose bridge, sides of nose and around the mouth like so. Remember, less is more when it comes to concealers. It's better to build the product up using tiny amounts rather than putting a chunk of it at once. This will prevent caking.

Apply an eyeshadow base and I'm using Etude House Proof 10 eye primer all over lids.

Using a flat shader brush like Loew-Cornell 3/8 Maxine's Mop brush or MAC 239, apply a royal blue eyeshadow all over lids. This color will act as base for our glittery shadow that we will apply next.

Using the same brush, apply a bright blue shimmery loose pigment on top of the blue eyeshadow. I used Lumiere mineral eyeshadow in Turquoise. It's a very bright blue pigment with gold flecks. Build up the color until you reach your desired brightness.

Get a pencil brush, I used my Ellana pencil brush with this, and apply a white shimmery eyeshadow on the inner corners of the eye extending on the inner half of the lid. Just use light patting motion so that the blue pigments underneath won't move. I used MakeUp Forever Star Powder in shade 902.

Get a matte black eyeshadow and apply it on the outer V extending in the crease area using a tapered blending brush like MAC 217. Then apply a white matte eyeshadow on the browbone to highlight and blend the harsh edges of the black e/s. You can touch up the blue pigment if necessary.

Create an exagerrated cat eye using a black liquid or gel liner. I used my Tony Moly backstage gel liner in shade 01 and applied it using a pointed eyeliner brush (Suesh pointed liner brush). Also line your lower lashline and waterline.

Using a pencil brush with black eyeshadow, smudge the gel liner on your lower lashline. Clean eye area using cotton buds.

Apply some blue pigment on the lower lashline blending it into the black liner.

Curl your lashes and apply your favorite mascara on your top and bottom lashes. You can also put false eyelashes if you want to make it more dramatic.

Set your foundation with a powder using a fluffy powder brush. I used my MBM Oil-free pressed powder in Mestiza and applied it with my Ellana buffer brush (my favorite face brush ever!).

Apply a matte peachy pink blush. Don't use a shimmery one because the eyes are already full of shimmer. I used my Christian Dior powder blush in Amber Silk.

And for the lips, you can go with a nude peachy lips like this:

Lancome Color fever shine lipstick in 214 topped with Victoria's Secret lipgloss in Embrace.

Or you can go with a bright pink lips like this if you're adventurous enough hehe ^_^

I used my Revlon lip butter in Lollipop in this look. I really love this lip color! I wanna get more lip butters! ^_^

SO yeah, it's been so long since I posted a tutorial...I hope you guys enjoyed this look. Thank you for dropping by. Till next time.

Mwah*

P.S. Look how much I used to remove all of this haha. I almost used up my makeup remover =/

My Best Products for 2010 + mini reviews

Hello! I'm back! How's everyone? I hope 2011 will be better for all of us..It already started getting better for me so I'm really looking forward to the rest of the year ^_^

So, I decided to start my 2011 with a year-end list of the best products I used throughout 2010. These are products that I discovered in 2010 and loved and also products that I am still loving despite the years that have passed.

In no particular order...

*ELLANA SHEER VELVET POWDER PRIMER

- You all probably know that I love this to bits because I use this a lot on my FOTDS. It really helps control my oil and it also makes my skin appear smoother especially on pictures. This is really the cheaper version of MUFE HD Powder, IMO. I started using this 2 years ago and I'm still loving it until now. I think me and my sis used up around 2-3 pcs of this already coz we use it almost everyday hehe :)

*ELLANA UNDEREYE CONCEALER in CHEER (Peachy shade)

-For a years, I loved using yellow undertone concealers (Mary kay concealer, Ellana Awake, Monave Buttercup, etc) to brighten up my eyes, but this year, I learned that peachy concealers can cover dark undereye circles better so I tried this one.. I loved this because it doesn't give me the reverse racoon look wherein your undereye area is just too bright for it to look natural especially in pictures. This product can make your eyes look awake and brighter too but not excessively. Great to use alone if you don't need too much coverage or you can apply it on top of a peach undereye concealer on days where you have dark dark circles due to lack of sleep.
TIP:
-moisturize undereye area first to prevent the product from setting in the lines.
-Use a fluffy brush in applying on top of a creamy concealer to prevent caking.
-Use concealer brush if you want a heavier coverage



*TIANUO LIP OIL & LIP ICE SHEER COLOR
-I love these two because I can blend these easily on my lips for some color with added benefit of moisture. Both are non drying and long lasting. They give off a different shade of pink as you can see in the swatches below so I just switch them up everyday.
For me, Tianuo lasts longer on the lips and gives off a more vivid shade of pink than Lip Ice, so if you want a bolder lip look, go for Tianuo.
Although I usually carry Lip Ice with me for touch-ups during the day because it's in a stick form and won't stain your kikay kit. I also love that it just gives me a just-bitten look everytime. Really a YLBB lippie.

*BRUSHES

- Here are my favorite brushes of all time. I think I can live with just this set.

My must have brushes.

ELLANA BUFFFER BRUSH - One of the softest brush I own. I have tried a lot of face brushes and this is the best for me. I love MMU so I usually have powder foundations and setting powders and this brush delivers for the on-the-go girl like me. Since it's big, I can do my whole face in less than a minute with even coverage and smooth finish. I also did not experience any shedding, deforming or even having scratchy hairs even after a year of frequent washing (Unlike with natural hair brushes). And since it's synthetic, it's cruelty free.

ETUDE HOUSE DUO FIBRE BRUSH - I just love the size of this brush. Perfect for the whole face for applying liquid foundation or for your cheeks for applying blushes. I just love how soft and compact the hairs are which helps in creating that flawless finish. It's also quick drying so you can wash it as freqent as you want. I did experience a little bluish stain on the white hairs but I don't really mind coz it ddoesn't really transfer on my face. I love this way better than my MAC 187 SE because this doesn't shed.

LUMIERE DUO FIBRE BRUSH - I got this 2 years ago and it's still the same as when I got it brand new. Really good quality brush. Doesn't shed and bleed. It's also very soft and easy to clean. Perfect size for appplying blushes and highlighters. Although it says "powder" on the brush handle, it's too small for that function.

MAC 217 E/S BRUSH - This is already more than 2 years old and I'm very glad that it's still white haha. I love how it is very multi-functional (blending eye makeup, putting colors on lid, applying highlighters and concealers) and very easy to dry. I would love this brush to bits if only it's not scratchy. I really hated it when after a couple of washes, it became scratchy. I need to wash this after every 2-3 uses just to condition the hairs so that it won't irritate my eye area that much. But nevertheless, I still give this 4/5 because it delivers.

LOEW CORNELL 3/8 mop brush - a very affordable alternative to MAC 239 shading brush. Delivers well and very cheap. I'm very happy to be able to get this last year through Sol. It packs color on the lid very well and I can also use it for blending harsh lines. I can really recommend this as a good buy.

CHARM CONCEALER & EYELINER BRUSH - These two brushes are included in the first ever batch of Charm brushes produced (Is it 4 years ago? not sure). Although I'm pretty sure Chram brushes now are a lot better in quality than before, I'm still not in need of getting a replacement because they still function well even though I've used them thousands of time already. Look how old the handles look now haha but I still love them to bits. Good job on these ones Sophie!

*SHISEIDO EYELASH CURLER

- This curler is already going 4 years old and it still looks brand new. I just replace the rubber every now and then but the curler itslef is good as new. Very sturdy and reliable. It did not get rusty, bended whatsoever. I don't even buy Shiseido rubber, just Fanny Serrano refills but it still works the same as when I use the original one. Really a good investment to buy good quality products that you know you will use frequently for a long time. It really pays-off.

MAKE UP FOREVER STAR POWDER No. 902 & MAC COCOMOTION PIGMENT

- This combination is my go to night time eye makeup. My eyes look so pretty and put together whenever I use this combo. Both eyeshadows are very pigmented and lasts very long so they are perfect for my oily lids. I've been using these eyeshadows for 2 years and I have used a lot of them already. I'm still debating whether to buy a full pot of MAC cocomotion or I'll just get another sample online so I can save some money and buy another product hehe...anyways, I am still in love with them so I included these two in my best products list :)

*ETUDE HOUSE PROOF 10 EYELINERS

- I discovered this late last year and I fell in love with them right away. I just love how easy and simple it is to use compared to using gel liners. This is a pencil, so you have control in applying your liner unlike with liquid liner that it's so hard to create a straight line. This also have a sharpener at the end if you want a pointed one to create a finer line or a wing. Etude House carry different types of liners but I have only tried Proof 10 ones because they are the waterproof ones. I really have oily lids and even with a base, my liners smudges after 5 hours, but with this one, that doesn't happen. I really love how long lasting it is on my lids. Although I can't say the same if you use it on the waterline coz I haven't tried that. I just apply liner on my upper lashline to have an illusion of a fuller lashes haha.

The blue one is under the Jewelry line which has shimmers/glitters while the black one is from the regular line. Both are waterproof :)

Isn't it vibrant? I'll do an in-depth review on these liners next time so I can discuss it more with lots of pictures too :)

*BASIC BEAUTY 2-Way powder
-I came across this brand in Landmark Trinoma. It is a hypo-allergenic brand like Clinique and VMV. I don't know if this is a local brand or imported but it is really affordable. This powder is just around Php280. I've been using this everyday since I got it last month. I even showed it to my derma so she can check the ingredients for any irritating substance and she gave me a thumbs up (yay!) . I have not experienced any kind of allergic reaction from this powder. No itchiness, pimples, redness whatsoever (even on very humid days). It also controls oilies very well. I usually get oily within 30 mins after washing my face but this powder can keep me shine free for around 5 hours! For a very affordable product, it really delivers!

The packaging is a little unusual because the mirror is at the bottom of the pan and the label in at the top but it looks cute.
I will also do a separate review for this since I want to share a lot about this product. All I can say for now is, this is my HG powder at present :)

*DERMA ROLLER
- Last but not the least, my savior, derma roller. I really really am grateful for this product because it salvaged my skin. I am now acne free, yay! I have finished my 6th session and I am still planning on finishing the last 4 to totally remove my acne marks.



Please watch out for my next post because I will do an update on my Derma Rolling experience.. I will show you guys how improved my skin is now :)
Sorry for a very long post. I think I missed blogging so much that's why I can't stop typing haha...Till my next post! bye!

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 ^_^

Review: Ellana Lip Scrub in Cucumber Melon

Hello everyone! It's a really a very nice morning today..It's shiny but not hot..And I was able to sleep late haha I love it! ^_^

Okay, since I can't put anything on my face, I started buying stuff for my lips haha...I have dry, flaky lips so I really love moisturizing lip products. On my search for another HG lipbalm and lip products that can help with my lips, I stumbled into an info that using lip scrub regularly can help..So I bought a lip scrub from sis..I got myself the new scent: Cucumber Melon :)

ELLANA Lip Scrub in Cucumber Melon
PROS

- Affordable - Only Php150 for a big pot of products

- Smells nice..really smell like melon

- Helps my lips become flake free...it effectively removes the dead skin cells

- It comes in a sturdy plastic pot so I can carry this with me when I travel coz I don't need to worry about it breaking (glass) or popping (tube).


CONS
- I hate the taste...It leaves a soap taste on my lips arrg!


Over-all Rating: 3/5 - It really functions really well as a lip scrub but I have sensitive taste buds and I can't stand those kinds of lingering taste like with my Blistex lipbalm that I don't use because it leaves a sunblock taste on my mouth and with my By Nature strawberry lip balm that makes me think of antibiotics everytime..

BUT my sister and my mom don't have problem with those 3 lip products so I'm guessing it's just me hehe...so, if you are not bothered with this, you will definitely like this product ^_^


I'll post another lip product soon..I'm testing out a new lipbalm that I bought from the drug store..I'll test it out first for a week ^_^

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