Monday, April 27, 2009

Askmewhats Report & Weekend Food Tripping at: WTC

What the world am I doing for a weekend food tripping at the World Trade Center? LOL It's not a restaurant obviously but I wanted to blog about this because I had some snacks here and took some shots. I twitted about going there last Saturday! And I went there and had fun! This bazaar was quite small but I like it that its small because I was able to go around the whole area without having to feel the pains on my poor legs :P

But before I go further on the bazaar, I want to share a super funny story. I've heard about the bazaar a couple of days ago, so without any doubt, I went there with the hubby. When we arrived at the parking area, we saw a huge banner that says : "HOG FESTIVAL" and there's a cute cartoon of a pig (which at that time I didn't feel it was amusing at all). Me and Keith looked at each other and he wanted to laugh, I wanted to cry! LOL After parking, we walked and saw pigs of all sizes! LOL Keith kept on reassuring me that there must be some other stuffs selling at the bazaar. So we went on to sign the registration form and I nearly laughed when the form has -- FARM , SOW LEVEL on it! Good thing we didn't give up and went ahead and ask the guard. LOL *whew* there is another "Fiesta Bazaar" happening at the other side.

But yeah, that's a funny experience! Pigs do smell!!! But they're still cute!!! I do feel bad for eating them after I saw them! :P

So back to the Fiesta Bazaar :D Are you ready?

When we got in we have to eat! We haven't had any snacks and the sausage that's been cooking makes us sniff all the way to the booth! :)

Manila Deli
shares a booth
with Potato Corner



The Hungarian Sausage
that's been cooking
right in front of you



Yum!!!
There's Mayonnaise,
Ketchup and Mustard

hidden below the sausage



Shawarma stall
with a lot of home cooked meal




And we have to drink!

I chose Four Seasons Juice Drink

Aaww the kid is too cute!

She couldn't concentrate
on the filling the cup

A bit distracted with the cam-whorer




The Russian Cookie House

Hand Made cookies




I've tasted those minis



And decided to purchase
Mini Jan Hagels
36pcs for Php250.00 (approx $5.20)




Had a stopover at a Korean seller
She sells BB creams,
nail polishes
and masks!!!
I bought a couple of masks!




Stopped by
Embodyment booth
Tested on their lip balms
and moisturizers





Love their body butter!
Shen, I know why you're addicted to them



Lovely Adeline explaining to me

the function of each soap



Eeekk so many to choose from
They all smell heavenly!




Took home these

Will review them soon!

Hope they work for my skin




I had a wonderful time!
Afterwards, went to the home of Keith's pal
they played mahjong, I sang Karaoke :P
Wanna hear me sing?LOL
Keep smilin'
Stay Happy!

Sunday, April 26, 2009

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!


Saturday, April 25, 2009

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!


Friday, April 24, 2009

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!

Thursday, April 23, 2009

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!