February-March 2015 Haul

Hey guys!

I'll be off to Jeju Island tomorrow so I won't be able to post as often as usual. I'm very excited though because I don't travel much, especially outside the country. I'll get to see a foreign place, experience a different culture, and shop! Haha! Anyway, will be sharing some of the items I shopped for the past couple of months!

Beauty Planet Brush Retractable Brushes

I was able to get these for around Php 150.00. They were on sale so I bought one for myself and the other two are for my officemates. The brushes are soft but I do experience a bit of shedding. Just a few strands so they're still good. They also look really cute!

More makeup brushes from Landmark

I can't remember the exact prices of these but I'm pretty sure that they are worth less than Php 200.00 each.

Some products that deal with my acne

I haven't opened the Zenutrients tea tree hydro gel yet. As for the Snoe one, I have reviewed it already. 

Some haircare products

Will make a review on the shampoo soon. The herbinol, I haven't tried yet.

More hygiene related products

Teas from Marks and Spencer

They were 30% off! Yay!

Art books about local artists

These were so affordable. One is only Php 100 and the other is Php 200.

The rest of the items were bought from Beauty Bar...

Got this one on sale. Original price was Php 295.00 and was able to get this less than Php 200.00

Bought this to take with me during my travel to Jeju.

And oh, I was able to grab these items while they were discounted. They were sold super cheap because they have this launch discount promo.

Mythos SPF25 Suncare Milk and Aloe Moisturizing and Cooling Gel plus a towel for Php 330.75. Original price is Php 945.00.

Mythos Deep Tan oil and After Sun Body Milk plus towel

Price is Php 295.75, original price was Php 845.00.

And those are my new items! Let me know if you find any of them interesting!

Cheers,

DAWN

Clarins Gloss Prodige Intense Shine and Colour in 04 Candy

Hey dolls!

I'll be sharing yet another swatch post. This will just be short... I'm tired from the long week and I just want to go to bed but my mind wants me to post something since I already skipped a post yesterday. Har har.

Clarins Gloss Prodige in 04 Candy

Info from the website:

A new generation gloss combining incredible shine, intense colour and lasting hold. 
Its highly smoothing, gel-like texture which is non-sticky and shapes lips, coats them in a veil of softness and comfort. 
Choose from eight shades which boost overall facial radiance and enjoy their delicious flavour with notes of blackcurrant and liquorice.

How to Apply:

Using the foam tip, apply the fine, non-sticky gloss generously and precisely onto lips: the lips are coated in a veil of softness and comfort, with long-lasting shine and colour.

Ingredients:

The Suprashine Colour complex: delivers intense, even glossy colour.
Maxi-Lip® peptide: stimulates production of collagen and hyaluronic acid for fuller-looking lips.
Radiance-boosting pearls: optimise the reflection of light on lips.
Raspberry seed oil: nourishes lips, leaving them soft and supple

This is also one of the preloved products my sister got me. I'm not sure if this came with a set or if it was free, but this is only a trial/travel-size tube.

The gloss is sort of pigmented with fine gold shimmers. Consistency is a little thick and creamy but it's not sticky. It has a fruity candy scent too.

I really like this gloss because of the wearable shade and the sweet scent. Not liking that the labels of the tube are easily scratched off, but the full-sized product's packaging is very beautiful.

Anyway, that's all for this post. Have you tried any gloss from Clarins yet? Which one?

Cheers,

DAWN

Benefit Hoola Ultra Plush Lip Gloss

Hello dears!

My sister gave me this travel size Benefit lip gloss that would give you a fun and natural pout that's perfect for the incoming summer season!

Benefit Hoola Ultra Plush Lip Gloss

I really like the Hoola Blush/Bronzer from Benefit so I was happy to receive the lip gloss version of it.

Here's the product info from their website:

Why we love it!

Our new plush glosses glide on extra smooth and feel ahhh-mazingly silky and luxurious. The six irresistible shades, from sultry nudes to punchy pinks, come in soft-squeeze tubes with a custom tip designed for perfectly even application. Beauty bonus: They’re the perfect partners for our bestselling box o’ powders!

• dandelion (soft pearly pink)
• dallas (dusty rose)
• sugarbomb (shimmering pinky nude)
• CORALista (sheer coral)
• bella bamba (sheer bright watermelon)
• hoola (shimmering golden nude)

Details

15.0 mL, 0.5 US fl. oz

Beauty tip

To create a beautifully pulled-together look in seconds, pair your favorite gloss with its complementing box o’ powder.

For the list of ingredients, please visit their website.

Like most of the travel size glosses I own, the packaging is a squeeze type tube. Not really a fan of that kind of dispensing though (I like those with applicators). But I like that the tube is transparent so you can easily see the beautiful shade of the product as well as the amount remaining.

The shade is very sheer nude equipped with bronze shimmers. It smells good but very mild. The consistency is just a little thick but not sticky nor greasy.

I find it too sheer for my liking... maybe I'm just used to applying pigmented lip products. This would be great on top of a warm, bold lipstick though. :) 

Anyway, if you like sheer glosses, then I think you will love to wear this, especially if you're planning to go to the beach and get a beautiful tan!

Cheers,

DAWN

Laura Mercier Golden Honey Glow Illuminating Stick

Hello loves!

I'll be sharing more and more swatch posts from the products my sister sent me from Australia. Some of these are her preloved items which I happily accepted because, well, they're makeup! And most of them are things I can't afford for myself yet. Haha! And this product that I'll be sharing with you is one of them...

Laura Mercier Illuminating Stick

The shade is Golden Honey Glow.

My sister loves this brand. I do too if I only have the money to buy more from them. Haha! But I understand why she loves Laura Mercier so much. My favorite is the Secret Comouflage concealer and their tinted moisturizers.

I don't like cream products though so I am not overly excited with this product, but, summer is coming soon and the bronze look will surely be a hit again! Just look at the gorgeous color of this stick:

It does look like the color of honey with very fine shimmers. It's housed in this very classy, retractable tube. It really looks gorgeous, don't you think so?

Below is the swatch of the product:

It's creamy and it glided smoothly on my skin. It feels buttery smooth but still light to the touch! No greasy feeling at all! 

Here it is when blended. I love the bronzy glow and the shimmers as well. Blending the product was easy and you can use your fingers or a makeup brush. It really feels light on skin so you won't feel like you're wearing a cream product at all!

I do, however, have an NC30 skin and the product doesn't show much on my face. I don't apply too much though. I can't use it as a blush because I find it weird to have a too bronzed face right now (perhaps I can do that when summer is here). On the pic above, I applied mostly at the bottom of my cheekbones, where you usually put contours. I love the natural, dewy finish it gives. It looks so natural but I believe the color will pop-up more on lighter skin... or maybe I should just add more? But I don't really like adding so much cream products on my oily face. :P

So if you want a subtly, bronze glow, then you might want to check out this product. I think there are other shades available like the Golden Rose Glow which you can use as a blush. :D Anyway, that is all for tonight! :D

Cheers,

DAWN

Too Cool For School Pink Shower Brush Cleanser

Hi gorgeous!

As a makeup lover, washing my makeup brushes and sponges has been a part of my routine for years now. Since I do this very often, I try to find ways to clean them in the most affordable but still effective way possible. I've been using an anti-bacterial dish washing liquid soap from Saizen for a while now and it's very effective—removes all the makeup and no shedding from the brushes. Even though I already like that product, I'm open to try others too. So when I was at Too Cool For School, SM North, I saw this brush cleanser that looked very interesting... 

Too Cool For School Pink Shower Brush Cleanser

This 150ml bottle is Php 279.00.

It's really affordable that's why I bought it... and I guess because it's pink! Haha! :P 

Anyway, let's see what the product is about from the Japan website:

Brush dedicated Cleanser is a brush dedicated detergent to be used as a brush can be a safe and clean storage. Clean and wash the dirt that is easy induce skin problems, it is allowed to maintain the shape of the brush, you can extend the life of the brush. I can also be used to puff. After the cleansing, please use rinsed lightly.

How to Use:

Give an appropriate amount to brush and wash gently. After washing, I rinse with warm water.

It smells mild but really good. It's like you're just using water. It doesn't foam but you can see the makeup melting from your brushes. It seemed really good until I tried removing liquid makeup like BB Cream and foundations. It barely removed the foundation off my brushes and sponges, although I guess I use heavy-coveraged products so cleaning is a bit harder... but on the other hand, that's what this product is for, right? Anyway, you can still see that some of the makeup melted but it can't remove even half of it. I still had to use other products. In short, this is okay in removing light products from the brushes like powder, but for liquid makeup, it's close to useless. :(

And those are my thoughts on this product. Have you tried this before?

Cheers,

DAWN

Review : Natio Tinted Lip Balm in Smile

Hello lovelies!

Lately, I've been experiencing dry lips more often. I use balms every morning and before going to sleep but it's so annoying that my lips are still chappy nowadays. Anyway, my sister sent me a new tube of lip balm from a brand that I haven't tried before...

 Natio Tinted Lip Balm in Smile

This is a tinted balm. I like it because it already has color and will make your lips look refreshed and pretty. The shade is also beautiful and really suits my warm skin tone. This can, however, affect the color of your lips if you like using lipsticks, especially sheer ones. That's why I usually use this with more pigmented lippies, mostly those who are near this color, or just use this alone.

Anway, below are the pictures of the lip balm with the labels...

Let's get to know the product with product description from the website:

Conditioning and deeply moisturising lip balms with a hint of sheer, natural colour.

Benefits:
Rich in nourishing natural emollients, the creamy Shea Butter formula conditions and protects lips. Lightly tinted and packed with Vitamin A and E to coat lips in cute, caring colour. Available in six sheer happy-go-lucky shades.

Plant Extracts:
Shea Butter and Jojoba hydrate, antioxidant Vitamin E soften and smooth and Aloe Vera soothes.

How to:
Smooth onto lips, following the contours of your mouth. To build the colour, glide over lips a few times.

Ingredients:
Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Ozokerite, Mineral Oil, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides, VP/Eicosene Copolymer, Microcrystalline Wax, Isopropyl Palmitate, Synthetic Wax, Silica, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Tocopheryl Acetate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Fragrance. May contain (+/-): Mica, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090), Red 7 Lake, Iron Oxides (CI 77489, 77491, 77492, 77499), Red 6 Lake (CI 15850), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140).

This is available in 6 shades.

It's $4.95 on the website.

The product is housed in a plastic tube. It's translucent so you can easily see how much product is left and also the shade you'll be getting. The product though is very creamy that there's little amount of the product that sort of melted that stays somewhere on the tip of the tube and you can see it because of the see-through quality.

The shade Smile is sort of a mix of raspberry and mauve. The cool tone looks great with my skin. It's sheer so it will not usually overpower lipsticks if you wear one over it.

The product is buttery smooth and glides easily on the lips. No waxy nor sticky texture. It smells really good too.

It moisturizes my lips and can help lessen the chappiness after some minutes of wearing it but it doesn't heal it as much as I would have wanted. It's not the most effective I've tried but it's still good. My lips look hydrated when I wear this although I need to reapply often because this doesn't really stay long on my lips.

So to sum my review up...

What I LIKE:

- The shade Smile is beautiful

- Smooth, buttery texture

- Mild, sweet scent

- Helps hydrate the lips

- Has Vitamin A and E

- Packaging

- Available in 6 shades

What I DON'T LIKE:

- I don't think this is available in the Philippines yet (correct me if I am wrong please)

Would I buy one again? No, I would not. Although the color is nice and the texture is good, the hydration for me isn't enough. It does give moisture but I have tried other lip balms that work better. :)

Have you tried this balm yet? Have you tried other products from Natio?

Cheers,

DAWN

Lancome La Laque Fever Lip Gloss in Lucent Nude

Hi loves!

Here's another swatch post about one of the items my sister got me from AU.

Lancome La Laque Fever Lip Gloss in Lucent Nude

I fell in love with the color as soon as I saw it. It's peachy and nude at the same time!

This is my first lip gloss from Lancome.

I love the applicator because it can carry a generous amount of the gloss. I don't have to dip it again to cover my lips.

The shade is just beautiful! The gloss is pigmented, very opaque. It's not runny and non-sticky and it has a mild floral-ish scent.

Here are photos of my lips with the lip gloss on:

It's a great everyday lip product because of the very wearable shade. It looks fun and fresh and I think it looks perfect for the incoming summer season in the Philippines!

So what do you think of this product? What's your favorite Lancome Lip Gloss shade?

Cheers,

DAWN

Pixi Duo Cheek Cream in No.2 Natural Peach

Hey guys!

I'll just be sharing a quick swatch post on this cream blush duo...

Pixi Duo Cheek Cream in No.2 Natural Peach

My sister gave this to me a month ago, I think.

I'm not a fan of cream blushes because of my oily skin. I feel like they're heavy and just makes my skin oilier. They don't last long on my face either. They fade once my face gets shiny.

This one is no better. This performs pretty much the same as most, if not all the cream blushes I've used. Oh well. It's still a gift that I appreciate though. I like the color peach anyway. :P

It comes with an applicator... which is pretty ummm small. I guess you just use this to dab the cream on the cheeks then use the fingers to blend. I'd rather use a bigger brush for blending though.

These are the two shades. One is peach while the other is a warm brown shade.

Both have a creamy, buttery texture so they are easy to blend. They don't have shimmers and the finish is pretty natural. The brown one is great for contour while the peach I use as my blush.

Here's how this product appears on my cheek:

Only foundation applied

With the brown shade (used as contour)

With the peach shade (blush)

(yes, my brows are very dark)

The peach is a little darker than I like but I still love the color. Peach is a favorite of mine! :D I would wear this color but I think I would prefer it if the blush is powder. Still not a fan of cream types! :P

I think you can use this as a lip color too but I haven't tried it yet. :P

That's all I can say about this product. Any thoughts?

Cheers,

DAWN