REVIEW: Etude House Baking Powder Cleansing Foam

You know how they say that oiliness is next to ugliness? Well rejoice, my sisters! Cos I think I may have just found a product that will work wonders for us!

This was sent to me by my student all the way from South Korea, and I’ve tried it almost immediately.

The consistency is very thick. Upon rubbing it on wet skin, it becomes a little foamy and you could instantly feel the grains of the Baking Soda cleansing out your pores.

After using it, you could instantly feel how it would wipe out all of the unwanted oil on your skin.

However, I do not suggest it for those with dry skin as it can cause even more dryness due to the exfoliation brought by the baking soda in the formula. There's a variant made especially for you, though! [see below]

And if you want to try the product, it is available at all Etude House counters and stores nationwide for 328 Php. 

It comes in 3 variants: Baking Powder Pore & Deep Cleansing Foam which claims that it effectively removes BB Cream; Baking Powder Cleansing Foam (Moist) which promises a smoother sensation which will be a better option for those with dry skin types; and the Baking Powder Bubble Cleansing Foam (Moist) which promises a denser foam. 

Have you tried this product? If you did, please please pretty please share us your experience down on the comment box below. That's all for now! Ciao! ;)

MUA Fur-effect Nails

I've tried Magnetic nails, Flakies, Kaleidoscope nails and the ever so famous Caviar nails. So now, let's see how fur feels like on my tips!

                           

Since I'm just test driving this out for the first time, I didn't want to put it on my nails entirely so I used it as an accent.

                           

The furs looked great as it is but I felt a bit more creative so I added stones and a few pieces of caviar beads --now that's what you call effort! Haha!

                                 

If you wanna get your own fur nails, just visit www.beautycornerph.com and see what you like from all 5 equally posh shades!

So what do you think of my design? Let me know what you think on the comment box ⬇

Post not sponsored.

Zooey's Emmy Nails

You can always rely on Zooey Deschanel to do the quirkiest things on the classiest Hollywood events. On the last year's Golden Globes, she did a funky Tuxedo design on her tips.

                         

 Earlier this year, she wore this Film Strip design.
                           
                                         

And at the recently held Emmy's, she showed up again with yet another quirky set of tips. And I won't let it pass without recreating it!

                  

What do you think? Was I close? Show me yours too! Paste the link on the comment box ⬇

OOTD: 04-28-13

What I love the most about summer is that you can use it as an excuse to wear the cutest outfit you got. Last March I did a little shopping on the SuperSale Bazaar and focused solely on hand picking my summer get ups. And this is the first outfit I came up with. What do you think? 

♥ ♥ ♥

♥ ♥ ♥

Shorts: Vanilla Breeze Clothing

Bag: WildBerry Manila

Shoes: RCCDR Footwear

♥ ♥ ♥

Sonas Denim: Not just your ordinary Blue Jeans

Everyone owns at least a pair of jeans. But not everyone owns a pair of "Patch pants" -well, not yet. But soon enough, a brand called Sonas Denim will take over our dressers.

©Sonas Denim

Sonas Denim was started in San Francisco by a man named Gerry Kelly on 2001 when he was faced with a major fashion disaster: his go-to party pants fell completely apart during a really big event. Determined to make another 'one of a kind' pair, Gerry decided to gather up some old denim pieces and patch them up together. His new creation has become a huge hit in parties and later on gave Gerry an idea to start Sonas Denim.

©SonasDenim

©Sonas Denim

The so-called "Patch pants" is now starting to get the hype it truly deserves as some Hollywood celebrities were spotted rocking it. These celebs include The Walking Dead's Laurie Holden, Sofia Milos of CSI Miami, Romi Klinger of The Real L Word, as well as Janice Dickinson.

©Sonas Denim

©Sonas Denim

©Sonas Denim

©Sonas Denim

I don't know about you, but I sure am crazy about these pants!

 Go to the Sonas Denim website now to know how you can score yourself a lovely pair.

Face of the Day: 03/28/13

It's all about looking girly girl today with my rosy cheeks and pink lips. Of course I can't miss doing bold eyebrows. And the ultimate girly girl look trick? Long, curled and uber flirty lashes. Keep scrolling to see the list of the products I've used for today. Toodles!

Products Used:

Ben Nye Banana Luxury Powder
Clinique Blusher (New Clover)
Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler
Browlash Water Strong Eyebrow Pen &Pencil
Sleek Lash Out Mascara
Milani Liquif'eye Eyeliner Pencil (Black)
Nyx Lip Liner (Nude Pink)
Ever Bilena Matte Lipstick (Pink Flame)

REVIEW: Ben Nye Banana Visage Poudre - Luxury Powder

I don't care so much about finishing/setting powders since the one I was using worked pretty fine (Lewis & Pearl). But when I read somewhere in the web that Kim Kardashian's MUA swears by this particular powder, I felt that I had to get hold of it immediately. 

It comes in 3 sizes: 1.5 oz., 3oz. and 8 oz. And since I'm just trying it for the first time, I decided to get the smallest one which promises around 35-100 applications per ounce.

                                       


HITS:

• sets your foundation and concealer wonderfully.
• it does a good job on lightening the under eye area.
• it's also perfect for highlighting the high parts of the face like the cheekbones, bridge of the nose, chin etc. 
• it helps cover up visible pores. 
• it does not cake.
• it will keep you shine free all day!
• it contains a lot of product so it will last you a really long time.
• it looks great in photos.
• it's really affordable, considering how much product you get.

MISSES:

• packaging's too bulky.
• the cap is too small to fit your face brush into.

Purchased from: The Style Quarter

This post is not sponsored.

REVIEW: Ever Bilena Matte Lipstick Collection Complete Shades + Swatches

I'm not a lipstick person but since I've heard so many beauty bloggers rave about this particular product, I figured I'd try it for myself. 

It comes in 14 shades. The colours are pretty basic, the types of shades that someone would use for an everyday look for the office or school. There are lots of nudes, a few pinks, deep reds, and even oranges, which I believe are the newest shades. My personal favourite is Dusk (see the swatches below).

HITS:

• the staying power is amazing, especially if you use a lip liner with it. You'd have to re-apply after eating, but then again, I've never tried a lipstick that does not require me to do just that!
• the packaging looks very classy and it's very sturdy as well. I dropped a few of mine several times and it's still pretty intact and still looks good as new, unless you drop it without the cap on, that will probably leave a huge mess!
• every shade is pigmented, including the nude ones.
• I like that they provided a colour cap so it's easier to find whatever shade you want to grab.
• it's very cheap. Each tube costs only Php155 at Watson's.

MISSES:

• it does not glide on smoothly when used alone. But I don't really mind, since I always use lip balm as a base anyway.
• the lipstick itself tends to melt. It's probably not a good idea to leave them somewhere hot. 
• it does not have any scent. This belongs to 'misses' because I'm actually a sucker for scented lip products, like EOS Lip balm.

SWATCHES:

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

This post is not sponsored.

It's raining discounts over at Multiply!

Good news my co-online shopping fanatics! Multiply Philippines is offering a whole bunch of discounts once again! So if you have any more pending items on your cart, it might just be the perfect time to finally checkout!

© Shop at Multiply 

Here are a list of some of the coupon codes you can use for Beauty and Fashion items:

M-PHFREESHIP2011
Get free shipping once you get products worth Php400 and above.

PH-TWENTYOFF 

Get 20% off your total, with no price limit. Exclusively for make-up items only.

PH-CHECKOUT
Slash off Php250 when you get Php500 worth of items.

MEMEME500OFF

Get a minimum of Php2000 worth of MeMeMe products and slash Php500 off your total. 

This discount frenzy only lasts for a limited time only, so watcha waiting for? Go ahead and get that top you've been eyeing before now!

PS: The codes listed above are effective for Multiply's Trusted stores only.

For more information, visit Shop at Multiply 

If you're new to online shopping, score some useful tips on shopping for cosmetics here. 

This post is not sponsored.

Miranda Kerr look

Saw Michelle Phan's video 3 days ago on How to Look Like Miranda Kerr, the lady I always describe as 'an Angel on Earth', and I know many of you would agree with me. I love her face (and her rocking body) so much I'd do anything to look like her. And make up is the closest way possible for me to achieve that, well, somehow.. Or not. 

So what do you think? Yay or nay? Please don't be harsh.You gotta admit though, the dimples looked pretty convincing. Oh how I wish I really do have 'em!

Products Used:

• Revlon ColorStay (220 Natural Beige)
• Ben Nye Banana Powder
• Etude House "Drawing" Eyebrow Pencil
• Sleek i-Divine Palette (Storm)
• CoverGirl Lashblash Mascara
• Physician's Formula 2 in 1 Eyeliner Pen
• Ever Bilena Matte Lipstick (Mauvey)
• ELF Luscious Liquid Lipstick (Perfect Pink)

A Getaway to the Summer Capital

Had a short but indeed a fun-filled trip with our closest relatives in Baguio last week. It's chilly in the afternoon and the temperature drops down even more at night so I finally had a reason to wear boots! 

REVIEW: BYS UV Top Coat

French manicure have always been my go to design when I run out of nail design ideas. It could go well with whatever you wear, it's so simple to do, and it looks very elegant, especially when it's given that extra shine. How to make it extra shiny? That would depend on whatever top coat you use for it. And now, I'm reviewing one that might just do the job.


I've never used any BYS nail products before, but I've heard so many good things about it. So when I saw their booth at Watson's for the first time, my smile went up to my ears.


The first thing that caught my attention is this nail lacquer. It claims to make your tips "super shiny and glow under UV light."

HITS:

• it does make the nails "super shiny" with one coat.
• it dries fast as long as you don't build up really thick layers.
• when used over French manicures, not only does it give an extra shine, it also makes the white tips appear brighter.
• it prevents the design from chipping. I've been wearing my manicure for 3 days now and so far, not a single nail had chipped.
• it contains a lot of product. This one contains 14mL of product compared to the standard 8mL. 
• it's priced pretty reasonably. I got this one for Php 199.

Check out BYS Philippines if you want to know more about their products and where to get them.

This post is not sponsored.

REVIEW: Etude House 'Surprise' Stick Concealer

Under eye circles are the worst things to deal with when you're trying to prep up your face in the morning. But with the right product, you can achieve that fresh and healthy look in no time. Personally, I've been in a life long search for a concealer that will be perfect for my skin type, and I think just found it.

HITS:

• once you apply, it gives a very creamy consistency but gives a powdery finish after awhile.
• it doesn't set too quickly so you have plenty of time for blending.
• it really does a good job on covering my purplish under eye area. One swipe, blend, set with powder and I'm good to go.
• it contains a lot of product. The product itself is about 4cm long.

MISSES:

• there's only two shades: Fair and Dark. Mine's fair.
• it tends to crease when you don't set it with loose powder.

SWATCH:

Shade: Fair

REVIEW: Sleek i-Divine Palettes + Swatches

From concealers, to lipsticks, to falsies, Sleek has it all. I've tried most of them and not one product has disappointed me. Now it's time for me to try their eye shadow palettes.

Each palette contains 12 colours, a full-size mirror and a dual ended sponge tip. 

So far, the i-Divine palettes are available in 13 shades, including the newest one called "Snapshots".

HITS:

• most colours are very pigmented. Especially the greens, blues and plums.
• the lighter colours are perfect for highlighting.
• it does not crease on my eyes, even without using a primer.
• the sponge tip that comes with the palette is actually not so bad. It feels like rubber and does not fall apart after a few uses like most sponge tip applicators. It also does a good job on applying and blending the product.
• the packaging is very compact and sturdy so you won't have to worry about it breaking once you travel with it.
• they're very reasonably priced! I bought each palette for only Php 650.

MISSES:

• the lighter colours, as well as the matte ones are quite chalky.
• there's a few colour repeats. Especially on the "Sunset" palette. See the picture below.

SWATCHES:

STORM

SUNSET

THE ORIGINAL

SNAPSHOTS

Purchased from: Digital Traincase (The Original) & The Updated Trends (Sunset, Storm, Snapshots).

Useful tips on shopping for cosmetics online

It’s no doubt that on line shopping is one the most convenient ways to get the things you need without having to leave the comfort of your home. You can get the best deals, since the shops don’t really need to pay any kind of rent; they can sell their items much less than the prices at the mall. Shopping on line also enables you to get a hold of some of imported brands that our local department stores do not offer.

Know who the top sellers are

If you shop through Multiply, you can just simply go to the “Marketplace” tab and see the top sellers by category.

Don’t show/tell all

On the transaction process, you don’t need to give out any more information apart from your name, contact number, and shipping address. If the seller asks you for more info like your birthday or a copy of your valid ID then cancel out the transaction.

Use the Multiply Shopping Cart

Using the Multiply Cart enables you to use Coupon codes that can give you amazing discounts, freebies and even free shipping. Currently, Multiply is doing a free courier delivery promo for orders that reaches Php 400 and above just by using the promo code: M-PHFREESHIP2011.

If it’s too good to be true, it probably is

It’s better to research on the product you’re eyeing first (especially if it’s high end) so you know a thing or two about it, especially the price. Now, if you find a seller that sells it way cheaper than everyone else, then there’s only two possibilities: a) it’s a part of a clearance sale, b) it’s fake. Also there’s no such thing as “Authentic Quality from Singapore.” It’s also fake. As simple as that. Personally, I’d rather find a good dupe than to buy fake.

Make sure you purchase from a trusted seller.

Look for the comments from the other shoppers. Most likely, you will find comments regarding their orders, prices of the products and transactions with the shop. Now if you do not find any comments at all, then that’s a bit suspicious. It also helps if the shop also has accounts in other social networking sites, which could mean that the shop is trying to reach more shoppers and is definitely legit.

As for me, here are my most trusted and favourite online cosmetic shops: