Friday, January 23, 2009

Reader's Corner: Q&A + Pressies



Lovely Friday!!!
I haven't been doing Q&A for awhile!
I hope you enjoy the questions and keep the questions coming!
I enjoy it every time I give answers and some readers would add up their 2 cents too!
LOVE IT!!!


Question


Hi Nikki! What cosmetic brands do you remember seeing at Duty Free?


Askmewhats Answers

I've obviously been "obvious" about buying some skincare products from The Duty Free Shop here in the Philippines. Let me list down the cosmetic brands I remember seeing, I'm sure I'll miss out some brands, but I'll do my best to juggle my memory...

  • Pupa
  • Smashbox
  • Origins
  • L'oreal
  • Maybelline
  • The Body Shop
  • Clinique
  • Elizabeth Arden
  • Chanel
  • Lancome
  • Estee Lauder
  • Shu Uemura
  • etc... (not a brand lol)
There's definitely NO NARS or MAC.

Question

What is your favorite Paul & Joe foundation?

Askmewhats Answers



My favorite Paul & Joe foundation is definitely the P&J Dual Powder Foundation. I swear on this lovely powder foundation as the coverage is really good and it works well on anybody!

Question

Hi! I love your hair color! What particular color is that? Can you recommend a good brand of DIY hair dye? By the way, are you Chinese?

Askmewhats Answers



Thanks for loving my hair color. It's from the L'oreal Feria Line and the color is Frosty Beige. A good DIY brand for me is definitely L'oreal Feria as it doesn't dry my hair as much as other DIY brands. I'm sure there's a lot of good ones out there, but I've used more than 5 sets of L'oreal Feria already!

Yes, I am Chinese but I am born and raised in the Philippines. Fil Chi as they call it! :)

Question

Hi Nikki, I've once read an article from your blog about using a gold ring to test on cosmetics if they contain lead. I've tried doing this to my cosmetics and black streaks did occur. I've even tested it to my minerals and to my horror, the black streaks came out darker. I hope you can shed light to a lot of us who converted to mineral makeup because it's supposed to be safe.

Askmewhats Answers

Let me start off by saying I'm in NO WAY an expert on this one but I have done research and read a lot about these before I give my answers.

Mineral Make up as everyone knows started to make it's mark in the beauty industry due to it's being "all natural". While a lot of mineral make-up companies claim that, we should ALWAYS check the label for the list of ingredients as some of the mineral make up contains fragrance, coloring agents and chemicals that could break out your skin or you could be allergic to.

I've read a lot about the lead content on cosmetics a couple of years ago and I did the test myself by swatching the product on hand and rubbing a real gold on it. Having a black line meant the cosmetics have lead content. I was appalled as almost ALL brands of cosmetics I've tested came out positive on my own "test". Yes, there are some brands that has lesser streak of dark color, while others came out really strong. But is my way of testing legit?

Nobody confirmed if this is the legitimate way to test the lead content on cosmetics but I've read via research that most cosmetics do contain lead but it is regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), if the lead content exceeds the "safe level", it will be regarded as harmful and cannot be made available to the market.

With regards to the mineral cosmetics having lead content, there are some minerals that contain Bismuth Oxychloride, this is a mineral that gives a youthful "glow" to some mineral make up, this may claim natural, but this is a by-product of lead and iron processing and considered a skin irritant that can cause dryness, flaking, itching and rashes. This is an ingredient that some people may not have reactions to but a lot of people does and you may want to steer clear from this especially if you have sensitive skin.

A lot of mineral companies nowadays do not include this as part of the ingredient.

But the most important lesson is, before you purchase anything that you would want to put on your face, do a lot of research, read articles about the ingredients and always take note on how your skin reacts, if redness or itchiness occurs, do not take a blind turn, but chuck the product away!

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Can you see just how cute they are??? I won this from Cosmetic-Candy's Christmas giveaways.

I'm lucky to have won the ff. ---

Mini Bourjois e/s nos. 60 and 68
Mini Bourjois Lipstick

and she added samples of ---

RMK Gel Scrub
Shu Uemura Phyto Black Life
Givenchy Skin Drik Soft Creme


Thank you!!!! Row, I enjoyed reading your blog with or without contests! :D

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And the good day didn't end, I finally got my gift from my dear friend Beetrice! Girl! I know you sent it before Christmas but I guess this is an early Chinese New Year gift now! lol Here's what the lovely lady sent me!

Wow with the presentation!
just so you know Bee,
I kept the ribbon and I'll probably tie it on my hair!




What's inside?




  1. Wooden mini-roller - she probably knows how stressed I am from work
  2. Revlon Diamond Lust in Bedroom Bronze - awww she liked it and probably thought about me!
  3. Maybelline Moisture Extreme in Cranberry Pink - girl! You are right it looks wonderful on my lips BUT, it looks wonderful on my mom-in-law as well, so if its ok with you? I gave it to her! :D Thank you from both of us!
  4. Coca-cola lipbalm - you are right, this is a gift for Keith as he loves to drink cola! *winks*
Thanks to Row and Bee for the lovely gifts!
Every package day is definitely more than just packages,
they are love sent from different parts of the world
Thank you !!!

Happy Friday everyone!
Stay Happy!



Please check out ---
Askmewhats Seminar for a Cause

12 comments :

  1. thanks nikki for the explanation on the lead content. i have nv done any test on stuff that i use O_o er hem i guess it is now time ...

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  2. oooh reviews of the boujoris please!

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  3. wow! such a good researcher! i never test products! maybe it's about time i do!

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  4. ooh i didn't know that bismuth was a biproduct of lead. thanks for informing us!:)

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  5. Prettybeautiful, testing them at the end will make you worry more! hahahha I stopped testing! :D Tell me how it goes!

    Fuz, thanks dear!

    Yumeko, I will! :)

    Sab, yup I am a born researcher! Or chismosa! hahahha

    Miemiemie, i'm glad my post is helpful for my readers! :)

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  6. wow i never heard about the ring trick, that's neat!

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  7. Renren, it is neat but if you did the test and saw he dark lines coming out , you'll think it's not cool anymore :( it's depressing! hahahah

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  8. oh thank god it got there safely! i was thinking it had gotten lost.. :( glad you like it sweetie, you deserve it! *hugz*

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  9. Bee, *hugs* thank you so much!!!!!

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  10. hi girl! i tried the gold ring test on my fave lipstick before. it was a lancome sheer lipstick, i forgot what shade. as soon as i rubbed my gold ring on it, the color turned black. when i saw that i knew i had to say goodbye to it. sniff! :(

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  11. Lootwagon, I know what you mean! I got depressed when I tried that test :D

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I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to comment your questions, suggestions and just anything you may want to say! Keep smiling and stay happy!