Zoom In On: Loreal Colour Fresco Cream Eyeshadow

Hello girls!

I’m sorry for being unable to post new entries lately. I’m currently undergoing a personal crisis. Hopefully, I’d be able to get past this and be able to make the right decisions to make things better.

Anyway, I will try to post new entries to get my mind off things that have been troubling me for days now.

     (swatch of Loreal Bubbly)

This is a review of the Loreal Fresco Crème Eyeshadow in Bubbly. I’ve had this since last year and I liked it so much that I used to have two to three back-ups of this. I acquired recently MAC Shadestick in Beiging and I can say that the former is a good and inexpensive dupe of the latter. I use this mainly as an eyeshadow base to make my e/s look more vibrant. Please note that my eyelids are not that oily too so what works for me might not necessarily work for some of you.

         (violet e/s of the Stila All Dolled Up Palette, swatch on top without base, swatch in the bottom with Loreal Bubbly) 

Yay!
- gives a cool and refreshing feel some few seconds after being swiped on the lids
- creamy and relatively easy to spread and blend
- makes my e/s look more vibrant and longer-lasting
- some Ebay merchants sell this at an affordable price of Php 60
- available in a wide range of color
- works almost as well as the Shadestick without the exorbitant price

Nay!
- tends to clump on the tube especially when exposed to humidity
- may not be available locally
- not so attractive to look at when used alone

Hope you find this review helpful. 

Thanks girls!  

Zoom In On: MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer

For as long as I can remember, I have always been in search for the best concealer for my undereye area. Luckily for me, I have never really been pimple or acne-prone except when I’d occasionally have zits during pre-menstrual days. When I look for a concealer, I look for something that is not necessarily effective in concealing any facial scar but something that lightens my undereye area which is darker than the rest of my face when I’m au naturale.

I decided to try MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer hoping that this would be the perfect remedy to my problem.

Item Blurb (MAC Website):

A creamy concealer that provides full coverage with a natural matte finish. Brushes on with enough blend time to conceal any size of blemish. Rich formulation allows you to use a micro-amount of product to even out skin. Water-resistant and long-wearing.
5.5 g /0.19 US OZ US $16.50 / Php 900

(notice how close the shade the swatch shade is on my skintone, I don't know if you can see it though)

Yay!:

•  I got mine in NW25 shade and I would have to say that it matches my skin tone perfectly. I notice that this disappears right into my undereye area.
• Unlike some of the concealers I have tried, this does not settle into the fine lines under my eyes. 
• Its consistency is just perfect IMO. Not too creamy and not too dried out either. 
• Easy to blend and because it’s opaque in texture, very little is used every application. 
• It’s versatile as it can be applied through a concealer brush or through one’s fingers. Either way, the results are A-okay with me. 
• Its packaging is elegant and durable albeit, a little heavy. I read in one review that this “glass”(I don’t really know the more accurate technical term for it) packaging is crucial to making the content last longer.

(undereye area in the left is with MAC SS concealer, while the one of the right is sans any) 

Nay!:

• As for all MAC and other high-end makeup brands, it’s always the price ;)

Final Say: I’d choose this over MAC Studio Finish Concealer. It’s way better for concealing nasty undereye circles. Definitely HG-material. Still would want to try other brands though. 

Thanks chicas!  

Voter No. 121 Precinct 68C

Last Monday, May 10, the country had its first automated elections. It was the third time for me to be able to participate in this process. Alas, it was also the worst experience I ever had. Methinks that next time, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) should institute steps to make sure that the people would not be subjected to too much stress and hassle just to be able to exercise their right to vote.

My brother and I went to the polling precinct at 8:30 a.m. When we got there, throngs of voters were already in line. I did not have a difficult time finding my name (and my parents’ names) in the voters’ list because we were listed in the same precinct that we voted in during the last two elections. My brother’s name was listed in another precinct as he was a first-time voter.   

As soon as we knew of our precinct and voter number, we immediately fell in line thinking that we’d be able to vote after an hour or two. Our experience, however, exceeded expectations ( and not in a good way!) because we had to endure four and half (4.5) hours of waiting. Our stress was made even worse by the humidity during that day. I remembered praying fervently that it would rain that time. In fairness, everything was a breeze once we got to the polling room. The PCOS machine did not falter during our turn. It was already almost 1:00 p.m. when we got home. And soon as we stepped out of the room, it started raining (talking about answered prayers!)

My parents ended up not voting because although they went at 5:30 p.m. to the voting area, there were still hundreds of voters who were also in the line with them. It was already 10:30 when they decided to go home because my mom needed to have her insulin shot already.

Nevertheless, I never regretted voting because I was able to vote for someone who could have been the best President we ever had. (Go GT!) And while my heart is filled with sorrow that he did not win, I could not feel any resentment towards our President-in-Waiting as he had already been warmly congratulated and accepted by GT.

 Me sans makeup and with a slightly sunburned face 

(and sporting an indelible ink!)

By the by, I think all of the problems encountered during the Election Day are just birth pains considering how new we are to automation. I am looking forward to a breezier electoral process in 2013.The real winners that emerged in this exercise are not the candidates who ran and defeated their rivals but the voters who did not waver and made sure that their votes were counted.

Happy Mothers' Day!

Before we'd all be busy worrying about the outcome of the elections on Monday, let me first greet the most important woman in my life a "Happy Mothers' Day!".

Happy Mothers’ Day!

Thank you Mom!
For giving me life.
For giving me two wonderful brothers.
For being a good wife to Papa.
For constantly worrying about us.
For being just a text away ALWAYS.
For working hard so we’d all get college degrees.
For being our harshest critic.
For being our greatest (and sometimes, only) fan.
For giving up your dreams so we’d realize ours.
For being love personified.

I hope I’ll be as great a wife and mother as you have been to us!

Zoom In On: Liole Blooming Pinky Tint

Generally, I prefer wearing powder blushes to cheek tints. However, when the weather is as crazy hot and humid as it is these days, powder blushes can get easily melted by the tons of sweat we make. This made me reconsider using cheek tints. For my first foray in this type of cheek color, I chose Liole Blooming Pinky Tint. This beauty has garnered several raves from makeup addicts and had been declared to be the equally (if not better) effective dupe of Benefit’s Posie Tint. It was out of the question for me to get the latter since I am not willing to spend more than Php 1,000 for a cheek tint since I was not even sure if they would be “hiyang” with me.

Liole Pinky Tint features a “nail-polish” type of applicator which I thought was funny at first. I could only imagine how funny I’d look to people who did not know better. They’d think I’m crazy putting nail polish on my cheeks. 

 

Yay! 

• Has a bubblegummy scent that I love. The texture of the tint on initial application is thicker as compared to that of TBS lip and cheek tint (review to follow!).
• Does not dry fast upon application making it easier to blend on the cheeks. 
• Superb staying power (it stayed on my cheeks for more than 12 hours). 
• Less expensive yet works as great as more expensive cheek tints.

Nay!

• Shows up on my cheeks after two or more swipes.
• Smudges on my fingers (but can be easily removed by using a hand sanitizer). 
• Can be really tricky to apply and blend especially for those who are new at using cheek tints.
• Can be very inconvenient to use because of its packaging. 
• Not sold locally. 

 Thanks chicas!

Zoom In On: Prestige Vinyl Wear Lip Gloss

If you are lucky, you’d be able to find great bargains through Ebay.ph. There was a time when I’d buy something through this virtual store almost every week. I’m sure almost all veteran online shoppers have their own stories to tell regarding their Ebay best buys. On a personal note, I consider my Prestige Vinyl Wear Lip Glosses as one of my online best buys. These were sold at only Php 50 each. I got two shades, Merengue and Belly Dancing. I think the latter was only a freebie since I got a lot of items from the Ebay seller at that time.

Retailing at $4.95, these are really great drugstore lip glosses.  For a better look at other shades, read this. 

I got Merengue, which is apparently a dupe for Chanel Glossimer in Electric.

 While Merengue can be described as "coral-orange", Belly Dancing has more violet tones and dries up to a darker, mauve red shade.

 Yay!

Ø These babies are super pigmented.
Ø Aside from the superior color-payoff, these also have superb staying power. (Better than that of MAC and Stila, IMO)
Ø Can be worn alone or on top of a lippie. (I prefer wearing it alone since the shades I got are very pigmented.
Ø The vinyl formulation lends high-wattage shine to the lips.

Nay!

Ø Texture is rather sticky and feels thick upon application.

Ø Shade appears to be darker right after being applied on the lips. (It neutralizes after some time however.)

Ø Packaging leaves so much to be desired though. (Applicator dipped to the other half of the tube every application.)

Ø May not be sold as cheaply when bought from traditional stores like Beauty Bar.

How about you ladies, what’s your Ebay best buy?

Thanks chicas for taking the time to read this post!