Askmewhats Reviews: MAC Shadesticks

I only own 2 Shadesticks and thanks to Mona for selling them because I won't have the chance to even try them because I've checked MAC Philippines and I was told they don't sell Shadesticks for quite some time now. Not sure why!

So I got 2 of the "in demand" shadesticks.

MAC Shadestick in Beige-ing
and MAC Sharkskin

MAC Shadestick Beige-ing




Beige/Nude/Champagne color
with Shimmer



MAC Sharkskin



A bit grayish black
with a lot of shimmer

MAC Shadesticks says ---

A smooth and silky, rich and creamy eye shadow delivered in a sophisticated stick-style format. Provides rich gem-style color overlaid by soft semi-precious finishes of shine. Glides on: works as a shadow - or a liner. Builds up coverage from sheer: color always looks fabulous. More than an eye shadow. Total I-impact.

1.5 g / 0.05 US oz

Askmewhats says ---

Pros

• Packaging is wonderful, easy to take along
• Love it that its retractable, no sharpening needed! (as opposed to NYX Jumbo eye pencils)
  
• Beige-ing is great to intensify light e/s, Sharkskin is great to intensify any dark e/s colors both gives out different color dimension
• great as e/s base
• non-messy, fuss-free!
  
• doesn't dry easily as compared to MAC's Paintpots
• both colors can be worn alone, just have to blend them well with brush or fingers
• one tube can lasts for a long time
  

Cons

• creases my e/s if applied without base
• requires a bit of tugging if the shadesticks aren't warm enough
  

Overall

I find that shadesticks are a good addition to your makeup kit, but it is NOT required. Some people love this as a base but to some people with oilier lids probably need additional help with an eyeshadow primer.

I find that shadesticks are wonderful to intensify ANY e/s colors and they are great to give a certain e/s color a different "FEEL".

Tips

• for people who lives in warm weather (like I do), always use an e/s base before the Shadesticks, it'll protect you from creasing
• warm the shadesticks by rubbing between your hands to prevent pulling during application
• pat on e/s instead of rubbing it on top of the shadesticks
• MAC Sharkskin can be used as thick eyeliner
• MAC Beige-ing can be use to brighten up the inner corner of the eyes and browbone
  
• can use MAC Sharkskin on its own and blend for a quicky smokey look
• you can go for NYX Jumbo Pencils if you can't find shadesticks
• if applying it directly on your lids felt dry, gently rub the shadestick with your fingers for the products to be warm up and easier to blend
  

Will I repurchase?

No, and it's not available anyways.

Where can you purchase and how much?

for approx $16.00 at MAC stores
I've checked with MAC Philippines and I was told they don't sell it anymore

Do you own shadesticks?
Are they worth it? Or not?
I personally think I can go without it
but it's nice to have one or two in the collection :)
Have a great weekend!!!
Keep smilin'
Stay happy!

Reader's Corner: My Current Brush Collection

Happy weekend dearies!
I cannot express how stressful my week has been!!! But I'm so glad it's over and I'm so glad my hubby is back from his provincial trip for business :) I will be off for a busy weekend but it's something I'd love to do!!!

Anyways, this post is to answer ONE query, but I think it deserves a space here because I took all the effort to collect these and yes, it took time...lots of research...and money! :D

Question:

"Nikki, can you show us your current makeup brush collection?"

Askmewhats Answers:

Here's my collection that is not a lot, for a make-up artist, but it's enough for me! I may still purchase some more in the future, but these works well on me :)

My first brush set actually came from G-Lish
I gave away a lot of the brushes
What's left are these



When I told myself
I need a brush set,
this caught my eyes
Smashbox Beyond Encounter Brush Kit



And when I got serious with makeup
I bought my first set of brushes
My Suesh 28pcs brush set



I wanted a travel brush
So I bought the smallest travel brush
I own from The Body Shop Mini Brush Kit

How cute are they?

I also randomly bought some brushes
from Prestige



Charm Brush Set
from Beauty & Minerals



Charm Duo Fiber Brush

Charm Retractable Brush
and Kabuki Brush both from
Beauty & Minerals



Random Brush bought
from Coastal Scents



My MAC Brushes yes,
I don't have a lot! :D
(MAC187, 226, 217, 242, 239)



My recent purchase
Ecotools Mineral brush set



More Random Brushes
from different companies
(L-R Thevi Brush, Bare Escentuals Flawless Finish Brush,
Shu Uemura face brush, Luminare concealer brush
and EDM Flat Top Brush)

Hope my brush collection is exciting enough!
And do I regret purchasing any of them?
NO, because I use each and every one of them!
Each of them has their special purposes!
Have a wonderful weekend!
I love everyone!
Keep smilin'!
Stay Happy!

Battle of the Current Removers: L'oreal vs. Mandom

Hello friends!

If you are a reader of my blog, that just mean one thing, you are a beauty enthusiast and probably 90% of you wears makeup! :D

Wearing make up won't be bad to your skin if you do take them off at night with the right products. What am I using you ask? Nothing high profiled! LOL

I know I've been telling myself to purchase Lancome Bifacil or even Clinique's Makeup remover, but before I purchase a new one, I have to finish what I currently have! Yes, I try not to waste whatever products I purchased, because we need to save money! right?

So, I will be discussing 2 of the make-up removers I've been using at present!

L'oreal Dermo Expertise
Gentle Lip and Eye
Makeup Remover

vs.

Mandom
Cleansing Express
Agecare

Here's the eye makeup
from Silver Bullet Look

I usually leave the cotton pad
eyes closed
for a couple of seconds

Wiped a bit
no rubbing
Here's the final result

L'oreal's
Price: Php335.75 (approx $7.00)
for 125ml

Eyeshadow : Completely gone
waterproof mascara : Completely gone
waterproof eyeliner : has a bit of liner left on the upper lashline
brow powder : Completely gone
feel: Non-oily
stings the eye? NO

For Mandom
$14.00 (approx $672.00)
+ $2.00 (approx Php96.00)
for 300ml



Eyeshadow : Completely gone
waterproof mascara : left a bit of residue
waterproof eyeliner : a lot are not removed on the upper lashline
brow powder : Completely gone
feel: Non-oily
stings the eye? NO

Cotton Pad
(Front side)



(Back Side)

Final Thoughts?

Though Mandom Cleansing lotion sounds cheaper because of the amount of product you get for the price, I find that at the end of the day,L'oreal is still cheaper because the packaging is simpler, no spritzing or shooting of the product all over the place, and you don't need a lot to remove your eye makeup. As seen on the experiment above, I still have more residue left from Mandom which means more rubbing to remove all the gunk I have on my eyes.

too much eye rubbing = wrinkles

So what I do? I hate wasting product, so I use my L'oreal makeup remover to remove my eye makeup and Mandom does the rest of my face. And please, you need to wash your face still! To make sure all the makeup residues are gone and you'll be a real SLEEPING BEAUTY :P

Using Mandom to remove
my foundation

Front side



Back Side

I also use Mandom to remove the foundation on my neck! At least, I'm not wasting any of the purchases I made! :)

What are some products
you left unused, because it doesn't do the job?
Tell us! Who knows?
We may find some ways to make it useful again! :D
keep smilin'
stay happy everyone!

Nail Art Tutorial: "Breezy" Nails!

I am still on a summer mood though the weather is getting weird nowadays. Weather is very hot but afternoon comes, it rains like crazy!!!

Isn't it that women are supposed to be the fickle minded one??? Maybe the weather is also a woman?

I'm talking nonsense once again! Another nail art tutorial for the week!!! I had a hard time naming this because I've done this without even thinking. I gave this as an assignment to my dear colleagues but they had a hard time giving this a name as well. So I ended up with a non-creative name...

Breezy Nails
The nail art reminded me
of wind...

Step 1:

Apply 2 coat of San San nude polish. This polish is quite runny lol, it takes effort for me to use this. Let dry.

Step 2:

Apply a coat of Caronia's top coat or any "runny" top coat.

Step 3:

While the top coat is still wet, drop a shimmery orange polish. I used Testimo (from a very dear friend) and scatter it creating gradient nails. I find this method easier! YAY!

And here's how it'll look like
see how imperfect it is?

Step 4:

Using LA Art Deco black polish, apply 3 feather-y strokes. You can apply with your fingers folded like on the photo facing the nails toward yourself.

Step 5:

In between the 3 black feather-y lines, apply white stripes. Still using LA Art Deco's White.

Step 6:

And I obviously don't want to stop...lol I added a green shade (for life) randomly using my green 2-way nail art pen brush.

Step 7:

You can add up dots with a yellow nail art pen (optional)

Step 8:

Attach "flower" rhinestone

Step 9:

Yes, I am using a 2nd bottle of TFS Top Coat. Apply to protect your nail art.

Enjoy!
Summer Breezy Nails!

Hope this simple nail art can brighten up your day!
Stay positive!
Keep smilin'!
Stay Happy!

Askmewhats Reviews: DollFace Concealer Palette

Hey all!

I never thought I'll be talking about concealers once again.

Everyone knew how much I love the MakeUp Forever Concealer Palette I recently purchased, how impressed I am with NYX Concealer in a Jar for its price and quality. I thought there's no more concealer for me. Until I saw this palette.

Tadah!!!
Yes that's right!
a total of 10 concealer shades!

Dollface Concealer Palette says ---

Ingredients:
Squalene, Octyl Palmitate, Beeswax, Talc, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Petrolatum, Propylparaben.

May contain:
Titaium Dioxide, Iron Oxides

Askmewhats says ---

Pros

• very creamy
  
• easy to blend
• did not settle on fine lines
  
• you can mix and match to achieve desired concealer shade
• a little goes a long way
• doesn't feel heavy when applied
• doesn't oil up
  
• the palette size is perfect to carry along
• no allergic reactions on me
  

Cons

• melts easily on warm temperature
• it'll be better if they included green and purple concealer in this palette!
  
• has a weird "oil" scent (but this will be gone easily)
  

Overall

Is this the same as Coastal Scents palette?

I am sure that's the question that has been on the mind of many reading this review. I asked the seller directly and upon seeing the palettes, YES they are the same.

Dollface Cosmetics purchased the palettes straight from the distributor that's why it looks the same as Coastal Scents palettes. Again, they are the same!

How in a hell would you use this much concealer in one face? Well, I strongly suggest this for people who are into studying makeup. As we all know, if you are a student for any make-up school, different shades of concealers are required and using an expensive one to "practice" creates a big hole in the wallet and our heart! LOL So I suggest to purchase this if you are into putting makeup to other people as well as the different shades are great for different types of people.

But if you are someone who loves to put make-up to oneself, then I suggest you purchase a smaller palette or single concealer.

Tips

• never store in a warm place, concealer will melt easily
• always store in cool dry place
• if you plan to use this for other people, use a taklon brush or sponge, do not use your fingers directly...hey let's talk about hygiene ok? :D
  
• after applying the concealer directly from the brush, warm the concealer with your hands to blend it well onto the skin.
• always set the concealer with face powder
  

Will I repurchase?

Yes

Where can you purchase and how much?

At Dollface Cosmetics website for Php900.00 (approx $18.75) not including shipping

I received the palette in a very good condition
The seller had the palette well protected
with bubble wraps and this....

Here's to show you the size of each pan
Same size as MAC e/s

Let me swatch them for you
to see the colors



Without Flash



With Flash

I hope this review is helpful! :D
Have a wonderful day!
And let's hope today
and everyday is a good skin day!
Keep smilin'
Stay Happy!