Friday, September 26, 2008

A Swap with Aly

When I had my first order at the Cherry Culture, I never thought of ordering the NYX Round Lippies. Until after I ordered, I've seen a lot of bloggers with their hauls of lovely NYX Round Lippies. I am literally kicking myself for not getting myself any.

Well NIKKI, KICK NO MORE!!!

Well patience has its virtues. And when I say blogging helps you find new friends whom you can open up and talk to about stuffs both of you are passionate about, a very kind hearted friend Alyssa emailed me and asked me if I wanted any NYX Round Lippies. She offered to help me buy some and it turned out to be a swap and a lot more! We chatted over email, I checked on her blog to see what she's into and we decided to do a swap. And may I add, aside from swapping, we talked about anything! We even talked about the differences of our countries and the culture! (I enjoyed it Aly)

I am glad I did!

It didn't take long for me to receive her package, I think less than 2 weeks! Which is unusual for our "turtle" postal office! Anyways, I am starting to love our post office because this is what greeted me early morning! (I took this along with me to the office because I wanted to stare at it while working! LOL)

Here's the package .. Thanks Aly!




And take a peek on what she sent me!
*eeeeekkkkkk!!!!!*





Aside from make-up, me and Alyssa connected because of our love for nail art. And I am so happy to receive the silver and gold polish called Art Deco from LA Colors!!! I also got the Nail art dotting pens in 3 sizes! I have bought one in HK, but it compares NOTHING to what she sent me!

I also got a couple of NYX Round Lippies all in my favorite shade of PINK (as I requested) and a NYX Concealer in a Jar in Beige (I am a bit worried on how to reorder as I am halfway my first NYX Concealer in a jar) I've got my first NYX Concealer in a Jar in Medium and I raved about it here

Here's a view of the Small, Medium, Large Nail Art Dotting Tool
(I call it that way but it is really an embossing pen)



A closer view to the tip
More Nail Arts to come!!! Weeeee!



And here are my favorite lippies!

No wonder people are raving about them!




And here are the swatches
For pink lippies lover like me...
Here's PINK LIPPIES PORN!!!!



A swatch for my NYX Concealer in a Jar in Beige

This suits me well, as this is yellow based!




Here's a comparison between the NYX Concealer in a Jar Medium and Beige Medium has pinkish tone to it and the Beige has yellow tone
(PERFECT! Now I have both)



And What are Lippies for with the Lips?

Sorry for the bad dried lips!
I've done all these swatches all at once...
So wipe, apply, wipe , apply

You get the drift? :P















Thank you Alyssa, I know you took time to search for these goodies!
I knew you had to go back and forth to the shop to check for availability on these

I love them!

Thanks so much for such great time and effort!!!



Thursday, September 25, 2008

Askmewhats Reviews: Shawill Lip Gloss


(Note: A request from a silent reader - you know who you are, I hope you enjoy my lip product reviews! :D)


I seldom go to the Crossings' Mall because there's always Landmark at Trinoma. Since Landmark was closing up, we passed by Crossings' and something "unknown" caught my eye. Something unfamiliar to my eyes so I got to see what's up right?

I've seen a new brand called SHAWILL, looks like a Chinese brand but it has Korean writings so could be made in Korea. I was quite surprised cause I never saw this brand anywhere. They have a wide range of cosmetics and what caught my eye are their lip glosses. They got more than 8 glittery shades of lipgloss. I asked the lady on their bestseller and I tested it on my lips!

It's not amazing but it looks pretty for it's price! Let me show you how the box looks like...

The box actually is nicely sealed and packaged.
I am impressed with the simple packaging!




Quite a huge lipgloss huh?
Same length as my hand



Here's how the applicator looks like, it's quite long, not flimsy at all
Check out the tiny sparkles



Here's how it looks like when swatched

No base, wiped once




I chose a very simple nude lipgloss so I can use any lipstick under and top it off Well, my bad, I didn't use any lipstick underneath this gloss,
so this doesn't give justice to the lipgloss lol




Facts on Shawill Lip Gloss ---

net: 7g
color bought: no. 11 (vogue noble)
has Korean characters


Askmewhats says ---


Pros
  • non-sticky (again using the kiss hubby test)
  • very affordable, costs less than Php200 (approx $4.30)
  • gives out a very nice gloss on top of ANY lipcolor
  • I like it that the sparkles are very tiny and not too visible and unnatural looking
  • the packaging is really good
Cons
  • tastes and smell like a car air freshener LOL (but not too strong)
  • doesn't last long, it survived approx 2 drinks
Tips
  • to make this gloss last longer, I find that applying the gloss first BEFORE the lipstick made it looks more natural and the gloss lasts longer! (can try this to any gloss that are NON-sticky)
  • always use a balm to protect your lips before applying any lipstick/gloss.

Overall

I find that it's not bad to give this product a test, but have to make sure to check for allergies. Yes, some lip gloss can cause allergies! This is not a type of lip gloss you would go gaga for, as I find most of the shades they have are quite similar to each other. I think just one is enough to test drive the product. If it works for you, great! If it doesn't, at least it isn't too expensive right?

Will I repurchase?

No, I am getting a bit annoyed at the scent now! Really..do you really have to smell like a car air freshener? LOL I'm sure some of you can take it as it is not too strong, but there are some scents I don't go for! :(


Enjoy gloss hunting!
I would hunt for more if I may!
I love glosses, no one can take that love away from me! :D

Askmewhats Version: "Purplish Chocolate"


I haven't played with make-up for quite some time, as I've been super tired everytime I get back from work! As you all know, no matter how short a vacation is, if you've spent most of your time walking, you'll feel the PAIN as soon as you came back to reality, and on my part going back to work at once doesn't help much :(

I've been wanting to play with make-up aside from blogging, that would be another stress reliever for me! I've got inspired to use my She Space Mineral and I got more inspired to use it with the Paint Pots I have! (I will show you guys the sample paint pots next time, which I got from a friend who's so dear to me who helped me out by getting them for me in sample sizes, I want all the colors but I don't want to pay full price coz I won't be able to finish it up!)

Let me show you a diagram first on how I worked it out *Snaps Fingers* :D



1. She Space Mineral in Prince to Pauper - applied in the inner 1/2 of the eye, I dabbed, to keep the minerals from falling

2. Milani e/s in Rich Chocolate - applied on the outer V blending it inwards blending with the She Space MMU (Thanks to Malaysia Friend!)

3. Bourjois e/s in Beige Rose - applied as highlight and in the inner corner of the eye, for brightening effect (Thanks to Malaysia Friend!)

4. Rimmel Soft Kohl Kajal Liner in Blue (thanks to Digital Angel for this!)


Products used (not on diagram) ---

Eyes
  • MAC Paint Pot in Painterly
  • Stila SmudgePots in Black
  • Paul & Joe Eyebrow Pencil no. 2
  • Paul & Joe Curly mascara in Black
Face
  • The Face Shop Liquid Foundation
  • Stila Illuminating Powder in bronze as blush
Lips
  • Instinct Lipstick in no. 7 (mixed with Concealer to lighten the color)

Here's the final look!





Closed eye shot



Both Eyes Close

I honestly feel my lashes are thicker and TINY BIT longer
As you gals know, I've been religiously using my Ardell Lash and Brow Accelerator
I will do a proper review on this coz it has been months since I last used
(to check out premature review, click here)
I've been using the same Mascara P&J curly mascara




You maybe expecting an "ALL SMILE" shot next LOL

let's do this differently this time :P




Bra strap showing...EEEKKK!!!!!

Anyways, I haven't gotten the chance to play more with the She Space Minerals,
but so far, I am loving it!
Have you been playing with make-up lately?




Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Askmewhats Reviews: Stila Illuminating Finishing Powder in Bronze

I am not a bronzer-user (that rhymes). One reason is, I don't look good with any shimmery powder on my face, it makes me look oily.

But when I received the lovely package from B of Clumps of Mascara (thanks Love) Everything changed!

Let me show you the prettiest thing
The Stila Illuminating Finishing Powder in BRONZE




Such huge bronzer!
I can use this on both my face and body!!!



Stila Says ---

Achieve that finished modern shimmer and add warmth to your look with our illuminating finishing powder. Uniquely hand-milled and then baked, the powder provides a beautiful smooth silky application. Each rich shade is developed to be worn on all skin types, and the bronze is beautiful on more medium to deeper complexions. This particular shade was a hit on our previous collection! Simply sweep over your favorite foundation or just on its own for a gorgeous glow. Destined to become your go-to product every morning and a must-have for mid-day touch ups!

Askmewhats Says ---

Pros
  • Works on every skin color! (I've applied this on most of my friends)
  • the shimmer is just right, making it looks natural
  • definitely creates a nice radiance
  • long lasting
Cons
  • not available in the Philippines
  • if only they can improve the packaging, they can do better
Overall

In my opinion, if you own this bronzer, you don't need to buy more as this lasts a lifetime! on some days, you can apply this over your body to create a nice glow both your face and body. I like this product as it works well on all skintones.

Tips
  • LESS IS MORE
  • Dust lightly with a brush, tap it first then lightly apply this over your cheeks, and forehead for a sunkissed look
Will I repurchase?
I'd LOVE to! In other colors

Visual Presentation

I've used my "now favorite" brush MAC 187






Do you use bronzers?
I don't, this was my first!
And I'm glad it was a great "first-time" experience LOL


Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Nail Art Tutorial: French Tip Disneyland

It's nail art tutorial once again!!! I have cut my nails short because I've had one pointer finger nail chipped because....well read this out, this is a crazy story! LOL I bought a lot of goodies for my family and they all have tag prices on each item and I haev to remove them one by one! LOL AND the final straw would be me removing the sifter sticker from the EDM samples..and whoops! It just chipped!!! :( lol

I know, it's NOT important but there should be a story behind everything right? RIGHT! So let's move on!

I've been to Disney and I've been having the Mickey/Minnie Mouse on top of my head all the time! LOL I loved Minnie Mouse' skirt! I saw her wearing a clean crisp outfit on my last Disneyland trip! LOL A lot of beauty bloggers like Alyssa has done this as well, so feel free to check her site for her lovely nail art tutorials too!

Step 1:

Paint a base color, this time I chose a very light pink color from ELF (Thanks Toma)





Step 2:

I applied sparkly blue nail polish, French tip



Step 3:

I put a bit of white polish on a dish, using my "dotting pen", slowly dot the white polish on top of the blue French tip (You can see yellow polish on the dish, I tried putting it on but the color doesn't show up on the dark blue ....lol trial and error definitely!)



Step 4:

You don't have to make it perfect, you can count the dots you want but I prefer to have it imperfect! :P



Step 5:

Swipe a gold polish (or any polish color you would like) just below the Blue French tip to liven-up the nail art



Step 6:

Wait for a couple of minutes for the nail art to dry, top it off with a clear polish to protect the nail art and I've used Sally Hansen Kwik Dry as well to speed up the drying time



Let me show you what I've done for my toe nails!
Same concept different colors!

Introducing, Mickey Fingernails and Minnie ToeNails!



Life is too short to worry about imperfection
Just do whatever you want to make you grow!
and be happy!
I'd love to do these til 80 yrs old!
I want to be a cool grandmommy LMAO!