AMW Reports: My Favorite Beauty Bar Opens MORE Branches

I used to work at Libis area in a Fortune Top 500 company.  Everyday I would walk through Robinsons Galleria to wait for a bus or sometimes, my mom would pick me up!  While my thoughts were lingering on work, emails and client calls, there are 2 places that I love to visit that would temporarily put my stressful life on hold!  

Auntie Anne's for my quick Almond Pretzel fix then the Beauty Bar as I love to keep myself updated with brands, products and trends!

I do own a lot of makeup and skincare products at present but the first few significant ones are actually bought from various Beauty Bar Branches.

Weeks before my 25th birthday, Mr. AMW and I went inside the Beauty Bar, Shangri-La mall and he took notice on how much time I took staring at the Smashbox Beyond Beauty Encounter Brush Kit.  

Because I've been a very loving girlfriend *winks*  and I've been a super hardworking, Mr. AMW gifted me my first-ever full -sized brush set and that's when my goal to learn makeup professionally started. 

After receiving my first brush set, I started to build up my make up collection and I've always been very keen on buying the basics as a starter kit.

As seen on my first few months of blogging, I talk a lot about Burt's Bees products.  Some of the Burt's Bees products I used are ---

Burt's Bees Garden Tomato Toner

Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm

(which I repurchased three times)

 Burt's Bees Lifeguard's Choice

I would hop from one Beauty Bar branch to another and always leave the store with at least something that would give me the push to learn more about makeup artistry!  I expanded my brush collection by purchasing Prestige brushes!  Since MAC was a bit too much for someone starting up on makeup at that time, I picked a MAC 224 dupe called Prestige #103 Shadow Crease Brush and then followed with  Prestige #102 Shadow Contour Brush.  Both brushes are still doing well at present and I'm glad I invested on them.

Birds of the same feathers flock together, they say.   I find this statement true as I found myself surrounded by friends who are into makeup too!  It was still fresh in my mind our fun Kris Kringle game!  The girl I picked wrote down here wish and it was the Prestige Eyeshadow Quad which made me extra happy as I get  to go back to the Beauty Bar!  I find roaming around the store gives me the relaxation and satisfaction.

Imagine the good news when I received an email recently advising me that Beauty Bar will be opening up more branches!  Yay for all of us!

• Bonifacio High Street – August 2012
• Magnolia Mall, Quezon City – September 2012
• Subic – September 2012
• Glorietta – October 2012
• Bacolod – December 2012

The news made me extra happy as I have more reasons to visit the store especially now that they have more brands!  They carry my favorite Andrea Modlash Adhesive and also my K-Palette 24H Real Lasting Eyebrow Liners and K-Palette 24H Real Lasting Eyeliner Waterproof.  Oh, don't even make me talk about the sponges, eyelashes and nail polishes!

Are you excited that more Beauty Bar stores are opening up soon?
What do you usually purchase inside the Beauty Bar?

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Stay happy!

(this is a sponsored post.)

Readers' Corner: On Eyelash Adhesives and False Lashes

Reader's corner day!  I have loads of questions that I need to unload and one of the most number of queries I recently got was about false lashes and adhesives!  Ah hah!  A lot of you are probably braving up wanting to get the thick, luscious-looking lashes that mascaras can't do much anymore?

*high five*

I'm sure some of you were born with thick, long eyelashes so I won't get hurt if you close this site!  To the rest who kept on reading?  Now, let's start fluttering those false lashes!  We have hope! :)

One of the most used Eyelash Adhesive brand is called DUO.  I have finished a tube of DUO which I got from dear friend Gracie a couple of years ago!  I used this brand especially for Brides.  This brand can be purchased at MAC store for approximately Php700.00 (approx $16.00) but the downside is, these are out of stock most of the time!

Thank God for bazaars!  When I visited Rockwell's Moonlit Bazaar last December to visit my dearest friends Sophie, Jheng, Shen and to meet Sol of Digital Traincase in person, lo' and behold...--- DUO Eyelash Adhesive right in front of me!  I grabbed one right away!  I do apologize I forgot the exact price but it's definitely less than Php700.00! 

To those who are on a budget and still want to try some eyelash adhesive that works!  I have 2 which costs less than Php400.00 (approx $9.30).  One is the Ardell Lash Grip Adhesive and the other one is Andrea ModLash.  Both brands came from the same manufacturer  (Past review HERE).  I have finished both tube (in clear and black) and I repurchased Andrea not because I like one better than the other but I can't seem to find Ardell at the Beauty Bar!  Must look for them at Watsons maybe?

If you ask me why I own various brands?  I really can't tell!  It's nice for a makeup artist to have lots of choices!  I usually go for the DUO on brides though as it's tested to stay until removal time!  And so far, none of my clients complained about lashes falling off or allergic reactions! *knocks on wood*

Now let's proceed to false lashes!  When I was just starting up on makeup, I would go to Landmark and purchase various false lashes! (Read the various lashes I've bought from Landmark HERE)  My favorite is the one called Natural and it looks absolutely natural you can even wear them daily (if you're comfortable enough with application.)  I realized after, that these natural falsies may look great in person but I find them not enough on photos.  I tried going for the thicker ones but they felt a bit too plastic-y. 

Off to search for inexpensive yet good quality ones!  I shifted to ES Lashes from KKCENTERHK.

I was initially sent some for review but I love them so much I repurchased and hoarded a lot that the customs officer lifted an eyebrow on me thinking I'm importing some drugs. *laughs*  (ES review HERE)

What about those who are uncomfortable with online shopping?

Thanks to my one tiny trip to Moonlit Bazaar, I learned that Beauty & Minerals are now selling Flutter Eyelashes and I swear, these are somewhat similar to the ES Lashes --- quality wise. Since I got a number of natural lashes ES for Bridal clients, I am glad to own more dramatic ones for future shoots!  Check out the names!

A box of 10 pairs costs Php350.00 - 400.00 (approx $8.00-$9.30), if calculated, each pair costs much cheaper.  You can purchase these at Beauty & Minerals.

Majestic

Crazy thick for that super dark eye makeup!

Drama Queen

Need i say more? for the Drama girl in you!

Purr

These lashes reminded me so much of the Ardell lashes 

which can be bought in singles and these can be purchased by bulk 

and it's more inexpensive that way!

Feisty

Similar to The Face Shop False Lashes

Use this to create a better "winged eye" look!

I can't wait for them to stock up on "natural" lashes so I don't have to order online and wait for shipping and probably have a police waiting for me outside the post office as they have a police dog sniff on my false lashes!  (too imaginative, I know!)

For personal use, it doesn't hurt to purchase them in bulk as you get to throw some pairs after a couple of use!  False lashes do wear and tear so purchasing a box won't harm  your health :P  To some who really can't go for bulks!  Here are some singles that I've tried that works!

First time users can go for 3s pre-glued lashes

International readers may probably go for Revlon Fantasy Lengths Self Adhesive lashes.  I have personally tried these too as I was gifted by Beauty Blogging friend Toma but I would say, the 3s Brand have stronger adhesives meant for our weather!

Various Asian cosmetics brand like The Face Shop also makes good-looking lashes for around Php100.00 (approx $2.30) a pair.  My favorite is The Face Shop's XLH lashes which I used HERE on my How to Apply Falsies tutorial.

Other good brands I've used for Brides are Ardell lashes that I ordered from International sites.

A favorite of mine to use for Brides or Pre-nup shoots are the 110 Demi Black

Or if brides are more adventurous and wanted a bit of drama and still looks great and natural on photos, the 101 Demi Black is also a wonderful choice!

Ardell lashes cost approximately Php400.00-500.00 (approx $9.30-11.60) a pair.

If you have the budget and you can apply false lashes on yourself!  There's the GlamBox Mink Lash which costs a lot but worth it as I'm still using these on special occasions and they still work like a charm!

Each pair costs Php1,500 (approx $35.00), looks crazy on packaging but oh-so-worth it when worn!  Photo can be seen HERE.

If false lashes are considered life and death, then...feel free to indulge on MAC and Shu Uemura lashes!  I own a pair of MAC lashes which I'm still saving up for that special moment....definitely not a wedding but could be for my Second Wedding Ceremony at the age of 80?  :P

Important tips to remember ---

• Wear false lashes that sits comfortably, cut them if necessary to prevent sharp edges.
• Once the lash glue creates stinging sensation or redness, do not use the lash glue anymore.
• If you plan to re-use falsies, always remove excess glue and clean with eye makeup remover.
• Store false lashes in a tiny container free from dust and pollution.
• For the lash glue, once the scent changed, toss them right away!

Hope this post helps to current and future false lash wearers out there!

Any other tips you may want to add?
Any other lash glue and false lashes brands?

Keep smilin'
Stay happy!

Askmewhats Reviews: Ardell LashGrip vs. Andrea Mod Lash

Here's my "to be continued" post from Oh My Falsies post...

I have tried on Shu Uemura Lash Glue (not on pix) and it works wonders...it sticks and it is easy to peel off as well without tugging your original lashes, but I find it a bit expensive, hehehe It's actually not that expensive but of course, I'm not going to be using falsies everyday of my life so I will settle on something good and yet, affordable...

Here are my 2 hauls of Lash glue ....

Left : Ardell LashGrip available at Watson's SM MOA for Php 380.00 Right: Andrea Modlash available at Beauty Bar for Php 195.00

Ardell Lashgrip Adhesive
comes in 2 types, the black ones and the clear ones (I bought mine in Clear as I thought I can always apply gel liners.

Askmewhats says ---

Pros--

• it really does stick!
• its easy to remove, doesn't pull out your original lashes

Cons --

• the white part really does show! I did try to put not too much, wait for it to get a bit tacky before putting it on, the white glue didn't get transparent (or maybe I should wait longer than 3 minutes)

Overall --

For the price of Php 395.00 ($9.50). It's not too cheap, but it's not too expensive as well as this can last for quite some time. I believe I should give other lash glue a try and I can do some comparison. But basically, this is not a bad product, it doesn't sting and it is easy to remove. (that's the most important thing). For the white part? I find it not a bother as I can easily fill it in with black gel liner and the white glue will be gone! :)

Will I repurchase?
no, read further for my next review for the Andrea brand

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andrea ModLash Adhesive
comes in Black and another type in Clear but in bottle version for individual lashes

Askmewhats says ---

Pros--

• it really does stick!
• its easy to remove, doesn't pull out your original lashes
• it's grayish, not PURE black, but it comes off nice
  
• it's CHEAPER
  

Cons --

• none for now
  

Will I repurchase?
Yes, too bad they don't have this in clear..maybe they'll have it soon :)

Overall note --
If you can click on the picture to enlarge, you can see that both tubes looked EXACTLY the same, you know why? Because both came from the same company with same ingredients and same box wordings. I didn't feel robbed as I started out wanting the clear one (which Andrea doesn't have). I've used both and it gives out the same quality, same tackiness...

Who tried this?
How do you like it?
If not, what are the other brands you guys have tried and totally love it?

Share and make other "falsies-whore" happy :D

Your askmewhats,
Nikki