Contest Entry: EMS-EXPRESS' Early Holiday Giveaway (Closed)

I am ecstatic at how generous Pinay beauty bloggers are this year! 

Ems of Ems-Express has a good one in store for all of us:

When you join her contest, you'll get these fabulous prizes:

5 bottles of SHU UEMURA UV UNDERBASE
Mineral Flowers Facial Set (Facial Wash, Facial Wash Off Mask and Facial Moisturizer)
Maybelline Clear Smooth Minerals Powder
Kiehl's Lip Gloss
Kiehl's Eye Alert
Kiehl's Grapefruit Hand and Body Lotion (travel size)
Shu Uemura Make-Up Pouch 

Click here for the mechanics! This Early Holiday Give-Away contest will be open from today August 28, 2010 until September 15, 2010 only!

(I do hope I will get the chance to try the UV Underbase, I've been oh-so-curious!)

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I'll have to admit, one of the reasons I have joined the beauty-blogging circuit is so that I can join and win prizes! Does this sound crass and desperate? LOL. But come on, it's partly true. Who doesn't like winning by chance, anyway? =)

Happy face FTW!

See, I've quit my corporate job two years ago because I have decided that I am not really meant for  it. I am destined to be in the academe. And because of this, I have to face two consequences:

(1) While I write my thesis and be a geek again, how in the world will I afford my former luxuries?!

(2) What stress-relaxing hobby can I get into without spending too much of my savings?

And voila: Blogging!! Girltalk posting has been fun (I am east_hyacinth), but personally writing in your own space in the web is tons better. I don't get paid for what I do, and neither have I been asked to review stuff... But I have had my share of successful winnings through awesome contests by dear new followers, readers, and fellow bloggers (Hello Shobe, Liz and Aimee) since I started posting in June! Thank you, it has been an awesome ride so far. This is a fun perk aside from the pleasure and delight I get when I read comments, suggestions, and appreciative remarks from fellow makeup enthusiasts.

I've been meaning to hold a giveaway, probably when I reach 100 followers (which is pretty soon)!

Okay, enough with the tirade. Cheers everyone!

Trace

What are you lemming for?

I've been salivating over two items for the longest time. 


I have still not taken the plunge to buy them, but I will definitely be very happy when I get my hands on these beautiful things:

Laura Mercier Eye Design in Black Ebony

$75

Laura Mercier introduces the must-have collection for all women looking to create timeless, classic eyes. A perfect accessory to your makeup regimen, Eye Design - Line, Define, Intensify is an everyday essential to take your look from day to night, meetings to martinis in a few simple steps. 

• A three well compact containing an Eye Liner, Caviar Eye Liner and Eye Colour
• A full-size Black Thickening and Building Mascara
• An exclusive Lash Curler
• Four double-ended brushes - Flat Eye Liner Brush/Pointed Eye Liner Brush, Smoky Eye Liner Brush/Creme Eye Detail Brush, Eye Crease Brush/Smudge Brush and Eye Colour Brush/Corner Eye Colour Brush
• Black Ebony contains a Noir Matte Eye Colour, Black Ebony Eye Liner, Black Caviar Eye Liner and Black Thickening and Building Mascara
• Mahogany Brown contains a Coffee Ground Matte Eye Colour, Mahogany Brown Eye Liner, Chestnut Caviar Eye Liner and Black Thickening and Building Mascara
• Eye Liner - 0.05 oz., Caviar Eye Liner - 0.08 oz., Eye Colour - 0.09 oz., Thickening & Building Mascara - 0.20 oz.

SAD PART? Only Mahogany Brown is available on the Laura Mercier website, and this set can't be bought at Sephora anymore. =( The set is exclusive in those two websites as far as I can tell, and I've asked around local LM counters and the SA's haven't even heard of it. The reason I still don't have this is because aside from the fact it's a whopping $75 I still have to pay for taxes and shipping! But seriously, this has been giving me obsession nightmares. Haha!

Shiseido The Makeup Hydro-Powder Eye Shadow in H9 Glistening Sand

Intense and lustrous, this dewy cream eyeshadow transforms into powder that creates a glaze of brilliant, shimmery color. Crease-resistant. Long-wearing. Color looks brilliant alone or in combination.

SAD PART? It's expensive here in Manila! It costs PhP 1, 850 at Shiseido Counters! Even at 25% off I am having a hard time forking out cash for such a small pot! But I really love the color, it's ridiculous since I have a lot of dupes already.

I'm curious... What are your lemmings?

Cheers,

Trace

Lootwagonista Love!

So yes, I am very excited to share what I've received from Aimee! This is my first time to win an extremely generous loot made up of useful and high-end items - all because she enjoyed reading my contest entry. 

Thank you so much, 

Lootwagonista!

Look, a sweet note from dear Aimee! 

Here are the prizes!

Benefit 

Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner in R.S.V.P.

4.5g Net wt. 0.16 oz.

"Our do-it-all cream shadow lines, shades and contours eyes with its alluring crease-proof, smudge-proof formula. Go as sheer or as dramatic as you like with buildable color. Either way, these shadows stay put!what else you need to know:These gorgeous creams come in 11 blendable shades that can be worn alone or mixed for endless custom looks."

The product looks like the cream version of Stila's Kitten Eyeshadow, which I have as well! I think they'll look very good together.

Now I want to buy the shade Birthday Suit! Check out the swatches @ Temptalia.

Urban Decay 

Ultraglide Lipglosss in Heat

8.6ml e 0.29 US fl oz

"Enhance your intimate experiences. The love child of lip gloss and lipstick, Ultraglide provides the ultra-slick texture of a deluxe gloss with the semi-opaque color of a lipstick. The result: deep, rich color and beautiful coverage without the tackiness of other glosses. Featuring antioxidant Vitamin E and skin conditioners, the unique (and provocative) lightweight texture offers a smooth glide that takes lethal lips to an entirely new level. And to further heighten your pleasure, each shade is laced with a unique flavor. Mmmm."

Gorgeous color, don't you think? =)

BENEFIT

You're Bluffing Redness Concealing wand

"Why we love it: Conceal the evidence with you're bluffing, our buttermilk yellow cream stick that conceals redness. what else you need to know:The portable slimline design makes touch-ups a breeze!

1.0g Net wt. 0.03 oz.

I've never tried a shocking yellow concealer before, so this is a first! From the looks of it, this one is very pigmented. Will see how this goes!

ModelCo 

Cheeky Tints

"Why blush when you can fake a flirtatious flush! CHEEKY TINTS is a dual-purpose cheek and lip tint, simply brush on a hint of tint for a cheeky flushed complexion and sexy stained pout. The revolutionary fine brush applicator delivers a precise and instant splash of colour for a long lasting, no mess finish."

The stain it leaves looks very similar to Avon's Simply Pretty Lip and Cheek Tint, which I adore! This is a tad better, given that it smells yummy!

 Elianto 

Brush Cleanser

Now I have no excuse not to wash my brushes after every use!

I have not started using them yet, but I will be going out tomorrow so I'll try them out then. Thanks to my sister Dawn for taking the photos. =)

Cheers,

Trace

PPS is Back! Update on Polishes, the State of Affairs, Swap with Shobe

Apologies, dear readers, if we have not been able to update. Dawn is busy with school, while I've been working on the third chapter of my thesis due next week! We'll try our best to post, rave, and rant once we're back to regular programming. As of now, what I (Trace) can offer you are three updates for one loooong post!


1. Nail Polish Haul


Thanks to Zai from Girltalk, I have been able to snag three department-store nail polish colors. This is something new to my sister and I because we've never been particular with polish (I, for instance, don't even wear them at all till recently) and have never tried anything worth more than 50 pesos, seriously.


Luckily, I've gotten my hands on three ready-to-wear, always appropriate neutrals from three brands:

China Glaze in Innocence

Zoya in Uli

Essie in Vanity Fairest

On Dawn's skin

The difference with these polishes compared to local products is that they're easier to apply and they don't chip easily. I've always coveted gel-like and solid colors but they are hard to find and put on (using Elianto is a mess for a messy girl like me!) so I am happy that these items can solve my problem.


I'm sporting CG Innocence on my fingernails and Zoya Uli on my toes. They are quite pretty, but I am not confident enough to show pictures of my hands because I am still growing my nails out. See, I have been a fingernail biter for more than 16 years. Sometimes I don't even notice I'm munching on the "horn-like envelopes covering the dorsal aspect of the terminal phalanges of fingers and toes," especially when I am nervous. And when I'm conscious of doing so, sometimes I don't stop - there's this weird pleasure of getting rid of the top part. Gross, I know. I'm part of the 29% of adults addicted to nailbiting!


I was successful at keeping the habit away for a month last July, but failed at the fourth week! I figure if I buy expensive polishes, I might cure this yucky habit. =) Wish me luck. For now, I will just leave you with two swatches from super nail bloggers who convinced me to purchase the shades:

CG Innocence - E-Polish Blog

Essie Vanity Fairest - Parokeets

2. State of Affairs

So yes, the Philippines is on top of the world right now. 

It's unbelievable how our public consciousness and emotional variation has been stretched to the limit in just two days: first, because of the Hostage Incident involving a livid former police officer and HK nationals (resulting to 8 deaths and a 12-hour ordeal, highlighted by the incompetence of the PNP and media) and the next, with Maria Venus Raj bagging the 5th place at the 2010 Miss Universe pageant with her major, major sass and 22-inch waistline. 


I am amazed at how flexible/bipolar we can really be - being horrified and despondent one day, and then being competitive and euphoric the next.


In spite being in the middle of this conflicted spot, I am just happy that people, including beauty bloggers, are very much concerned and socially aware.


3. Swap with Shobe!

I was able to meet Camille Santos/Shobe of LittleBeautyBag and we chatted and swapped! She's one of my favorite bloggers, and she's the girl-recently-turned-MUA responsible for looks like these:

In exchange of my Shu Uemura Nobara Foundation in #754, Guerlain Kiss Kiss Stick Gloss in Berry Pink, Guerlain Meteorites in Mythic (mini) and Elianto 10-piece blush palette, I was able to get Shu Uemura Pro Spot Liquid Concealer (discontinued), L'oreal Blush Delicieux in Sandalwood Veil (not in pic), Meow Cosmetics Flawless Feline MMU in Frisky Chartreux, MAC Paint Pot in Delft, MAC Brow Pencil in Lingering and Lancome Juicy Tubes in Simmer (mini)!


No pictures of us together, though. Boo. After braving the sweltering heat of Metro Manila and being strategically placed in the dingy corner of Wendy's Dapitan, I don't think we'll be able to capture a nice shot, even if it's composed by pretty bloggers like us hahaha! So we had to make do with our cups of Wendy's Frosty and some chismis here and there - about makeup, of course! I even had to apologize to her hubby though for taking Shobe away for a while, because we talked and talked.


Thanks Shobe, and till next time! And yes, I hope you do become a professional makeup artist someday!

Cheers,

Trace

P.S. I recently won a super contest sponsored by a very generous blogger! I'll dedicate a future entry to the loot. Stay tuned!

Review: Glitter Glue = Kryolan Eye Shadow Base

Get ready for an amazing discovery! I am talking about the magical powers my sister and I found out about:

Kryolan Professional Makeup

Eye Shadow Base 10 ml

The excellent durability of eye shadow colors can be even further enhanced if Eye Shadow Base is applied thinly and uniformly onto eyelids before application of eye shadow.

See, there are particular products that just won't stay on - I'm talking about glitter products. And no, not MAC Pigments but shining, shimmering, sparkling glitter. We own one in our stash that we have had a problem with: The Body Shop Sparkle Roller Ball.


Problem: We can't get the sparkles to adhere and stay put! It scatters everywhere on our faces that we look like misplaced ethereal creatures (of course, maganda pa rin hahaha). We've used both cream and powder shadows as bases, and although they help a bit, they only do so for a while. After an hour, the glitter's all gone from our eyes and have migrated to our faces! So thank goodness we've tried Kryolan and discovered the difference it makes...

This is so beautiful and fairy-like when used appropriately.  For pretty swatches of this one, see: Katie's Beauty Blog All My Pretty Little Things

Without primer 

(grainy!)

Without primer, then smudged 

(where where where has everything gone??)

With primer 

(sparkles prominent and pretty!)

With primer, then smudged 

(intact!)

See, the sparkle stays put like wow! Look at how pretty sister's eyes are!

The sparkles stayed on for 5 hours on her. Truthfully, some did fall out but enough stayed to keep up with the look.

A caveat before you finish reading: My sister and I have never used any primer specifically for the eye area. Upon purchasing this, however, my lemming for UDPP has been extinguished! Eyeshadow and eyeliner stay on better on our lids because of this product - fading has been minimized but not completely eliminated (with our climate's humidity and our extremely oily lids, we're not expecting too much). Good enough!

Reviews on this particular product vary from praise to rant. Check out the following:

Martha of The Beauty Junkee
Leanne of DoNotRefreeze

Cheers,

Trace

Makeover: Flower Girl

A Sultry Stare

So I have another willing victim again! Thank you Liz for agreeing to do this little experiment =)

Makeup Used:

The Face Shop Makeup Base in Violet

Covergirl Clean Makeup in Buff Beige

4U2 Dream Girl Lovelight Oil Control Powder

 Dollface 88-piece makeup palette

Dollface Contour Palette

Maybelline Cat Eyes Mascara

 Nars Blush in Orgasm

Personi Lipstick in Fuschia Pink

MAC Fluidline Gel Eyeliner in Black Track

Barefaced Bestfriend

With foundation on, clear and smooth. Weird expression though!

Makeup Applied

NOW THE ARTWORK:

Garden Face

Corky Smooch

I hope you girls like this post!

Cheers,
Dawn