Etude House Nail Remover in #1 Mild

Hey guys!

I decided to give my nails a new look last night and when I was about to remove the nail polish I was wearing, I realized that I already used up all of my Etude House Nail Polish Remover. I had someone buy me a nail polish remover/acetone from a store near our place. It has been a while since I bought a Php 10.00 acetone and while I was using it, I got some painful stinging sensation on the area of my hand where I had a paper cut and I also hated the smell of it. I appreciated how mild the last Etude House product was, so for this post, I'll share my thoughts on the product...

Etude House Nail Remover in #1 Mild

This 100ml bottle is only PhP 98.00.

The other variants in the Etude House PH's website are Extra Power and Nourishing Care.

There are other variants I think... I already reviewed the Grapefruit one.

*The pics above have too much contrast. The closer to the right color of the product is the first photo.

Here's the product description form Etude House's website:

Description

Formulated low acetone content and Caster Oil to safely and effectively remove nail polish.

Directions

Dispense onto cotton pad and use pad to gently rub and wipe nails.

Caution

1. Use only as directed.

2. Avoid storing in high and low temperatures and areas exposed to direct sunlight.

3. Cease use if problems arise.

Ingredients:

DULCIS (ORANGE) OIL, LAVANDULA ANGUSTIFOLIA (LAVENDER) FLOWER EXTRACT, CYMBOPOGON SCHOENANTHUS EXTRACT, ROSMARINUS OFFICINALIS (ROSEMARY) LEAF

As the name suggest, this polish remover is indeed mild. The scent is floral but not over-powering and it doesn't make the skin around my nails dry out! Me likey! Usually, those areas of my fingers are dry, most probably because of all the things I use such as when I paint. Recently I've taken care of my hands and started using hand lotions more frequently and I'm happy that I used the Etude House Nail Remover in Mild to prevent drying of the skin around my nails.

I also like that the cap of this bottle doesn't get easily taken off. You have to push it down before you turn it if you want to open the bottle to take some of the product out. I have experienced some products with loose caps resulting to the product evaporating and getting wasted. Good thing I don't have to worry about that happening with this bottle.

It doesn't dry too fast on the cotton but I still have to add more product (even if it still feels damp) to effectively remove the nail polish. That's something that I have experienced with the Grapefruit variant.

But can it easily remove nail polish? I think it depends on the polish. Using this, I can easily remove the usual polishes that have 1-2 coats. It will take time if you have more coats applied. I also had trouble removing polishes that are very long lasting like the Max Factor Nailfinity polishes. The hardest to remove, whatever nail polish remover you use, are glitter polishes so I'm not even surprised if I have to use a lot of the product and a number of cotton pads. 

So overall, I really appreciate that this product smells good, it's non-drying, and the packaging is great. It's quite affordable too so I believe that this product is worth-a-try if you like doing your own nails. :)

Cheers,
DAWN

Review : Kiss Me Heroine Make Smooth Cover Powder in Natural Beige 02

Hey lovelies!

How's your weekend. Spent mine with a friend and we watched movies, had good conversations, and great food (which we always do when she comes over). She's gonna go to Singapore next week for a 5-day vacation and I asked her if she can buy me some makeup when she goes out shopping. Do you have any recommendations what she could get me? I would really appreciate any. :D

Anyway, tonight I would like to share my review on a compact mineral powder that I received during an event...

Kiss Me Heroine Make Smooth Cover Powder in Natural Beige 02

This compact costs PhP 695.00.

I got this for free last April during one of the brand's product launches.

Having enlarged pores and oily skin, I love the that it promises to cover pores and control oil. The SPF32 and PA++ is also a great plus for a powder as well as the light and silky texture. All the claims seems SUPER for me! 

The product packaging is quite different to the usual look of Heroine Make Products. It's color is black, which looks very classy but different from the usual pink and fuchsia colors of their other products' packagings. The labels are still in the same font and metallic gold in color.

The compact has a built-in mirror as well as an applicator.

The puff applicator looks really cute and fluffy. It's very soft and I like using it. But after a while, I find that using a brush provides a better finish for me. 

But seriously, this puff is super soft and I would still use it.

The shade Natural Beige has a yellowish tone that suits warm skin tones like what most Asians have (this is a Japanese brand after all).

Here's a swatch on my arm.

And before and after application shots of my cheeks.

As you can see, the product is about two shades lighter than my NC30 skin tone. I'm not sure how many shades are available but I think the 01 shade is lighter than this so I guess this will be an issue for those who have darker skin tones. 

If you like your powder with coverage, then this product has that! And it did cover my pores as promised. The redness of my pimples as well as majority of my acne scars were hidden and I didn't even have to use a concealer or liquid foundation underneath! Do take note that I didn't just dab the powder on skin to achieve this coverage. I used a kabuki brush for application and swirled it on my face. Although if you prefer to only mattify the face and not cover too much, a light swirl then tap before application can do the trick. 

(Sorry for the ugly brows)

With contour and a blush, the shade match looks pretty close to my normal skin color. The powdery matte finish will look more natural as it sets on my skin. A good setting spray can hasten this.

Oil control is pretty good since I only notice my face get shiny after 4-5 hours. It's pretty good! And I never encountered any irritations nor breakouts!

So here's the summary:

What I LIKE:

- Medium-heavy coverage

- Light and silky feeling

- Has SPF32 and PA++

- Good oil control

- Classy packaging

- Warm tone suits my skin

- Long-lasting

- No skin irritations nor breakouts

- Comes with a mirror and soft puff

- Pretty affordable

- Covers pores

- Locally available

What I DON'T LIKE:

- Limited shades available

I would recommend this to those with fair to light skin tones. For medium (like me)-dark ones, I guess we'll have to skip it until the time that they come up with more shades. This is pretty good especially how great it covers blemishes and pores. :)

And that's my review of the Kiss Me Heroine Make Smooth Cover Powder in Natural Beige 02. Have you tried this product yet?

Cheers,

DAWN

Revlon ColorStay Eyeliner in Brown

Hello dearies!

If you like to sport natural looking makeup but still want to add definition to your eyes, then you probably have a brown eyeliner. For me, I like a fierce black liner (with a flick/wings) on my upper lash line, but I like a soft brown liner at the lower lash line. I'm currently using this...

Revlon ColorStay Eyeliner in Brown

I got this at 50% off months ago. Got it for PhP 237.50.00 only!

I bought it mostly because it was on sale. I thought that a brown liner is never a bad purchase because it is wearable and I can use it many times for sure.

Anyway, these are the labels around the pencil:

Here's the info on the website:

America’s #1 longwear eye liner glides on effortlessly for drama and definition. No matter what your day holds, the waterproof formula will keep you covered.

There are 8 shades listed on the website too—Black, Brown, Amethyst, Black Brown, Charcoal, Jade, Topaz, and Sapphire.

I like the classy design and also the retractable packaging because I don't have to sharpen it. I like that it's also slim so I can create thin lines as well.

Here's a closeup of the whole liner.

And here are the swatches:

The line is strong, matte, and pigmented. It glides sort of okay, but I've tried liners that glides more easily. :P

Here it is when I try to smudge it.

I like that it still looks clean. It stayed well and just faded a little.

And here it is when smudged while wet.

It's there but mostly faded. I like that it didn't smudge all over. I think this is more water-resistant than waterproof... although I did smudge it while wet... :P

I do think that this is a good eyeliner. BUT if you like to smudge the liners a bit to make the look natural-looking and not too defined, then you might need time to smudge, smudge, smudge because it stays on your skin really well. It does look good on the waterline if you apply liners there. If you have oily lids like me, I wouldn't recommend using this on your upper lash line because it will still smudge and transfer all over the lids after two hours. Darn these oily lids!!!

So that's my short thoughts on this liner. Hope this was helpful! ;)

Cheers,

DAWN

FOTD: Because It's the Rainy Season Again

Hey loves!

Just gonna post something short and simple. :P

The last few days had rainy mornings, which made me smile when I wake up. Why you ask? Because I can wear my dark makeup looks without thinking that I should wear bright colors because it's summer (No one really tells me that I should wear bright colors... it's just that that's how things are usually done according to magazines and what the beauty industry says and stuff). Well, it's not summer anymore! Yayyy! Double celebration because I just hate summer. Hahahaha! Hello rainy season! :D :D :D

Here's the makeup I wore. It's very vampy!

The stars of this look are the following:

MAC Pleat: 6 Cool Eyes Eyeshadow Palette
Kiss Me Heroine Make Impact Liquid Eyeliner
 NYX Soft Matte Lip Creme in Transylvania

I regret using a metallic browcara. It stands out too much but in natural lighting, it's quite natural-looking, very close to my hair color. I have full bangs anyway so my brows are covered. :P 

And that's my FOTD! :P

Hooray! It's no longer the summer! Haha! I just hope that the temperature gets a little cooler. :)


Cheers,
DAWN

Too Cool For School Creamy Glow Pen in Warm Cocoa

Hello peaches!

I'm sharing a swatch post of this product that I got as a gift-with-purchase when I bought something from Too Cool For School a few weeks ago...

Too Cool For School Creamy Glow Pen in Warm Cocoa

I got this for free because the brand had a promo wherein you can get this gloss if you purchase something amounting to at least PhP 500.00 at their newest branch which is in Glorietta 3. Check out my post about this HERE.

The shade is Warm Cocoa. I like that it's nude because you can never have enough nude lip colors. Although, I think getting the right nude lip color is still kinda tricky but not as tricky as finding the right red shade... Gah! Anyway, this is a warm caramel chocolate color.

It's housed in this pen-brush type packaging.

Applying would be easy because of the soft brush bristles.

Although I don't really prefer this kind of lip gloss packaging because I tend to pump it a lot and get too much of the product out.

So here are the swatches:

on my hand

on the lips

It's a nice color and it's quite pigmented. The warm shade compliments my warm complexion. The gloss is a bit sticky but just a little bit. It's not bothersome at all. And it doesn't bleed much on the lines of my lips. 

Does it smell like chocolate? Unfortunately for the chocolate lovers out there, it does not. But it smells a little sweet... like a mild cupcake icing. I actually prefer that since I'm not a fan of chocolates. Haha!

So what do you think of Too Cool For School's Creamy Glow Pen in Warm Cocoa? Would you wear this nude shade or do you prefer cool-toned nudes?

Cheers,

DAWN

Dealing with My Uneven Skin Tone with St. Tropez Self Tan Dark Bronzing Spray

Hey loves!

Okay. So the summer is almost over here in the Philippines... and some of you probably know that I don't like outdoor activities, so instead of getting a summer tan, my skin just became whiter. LOL

Still, my face and arms are still exposed to the sun during those short times that I'm walking outside to get to another building. I often wear leggings or maxi dresses/skirts so my legs are rarely exposed. But during the moments that they are, they look so weird because they look so pale! This has been an problem of mine. I usually apply a dark sheer foundation to make it look better but that's a bit of a hassle.

Good thing my loving sister who's in AU got me this product...

 St. Tropez Self Tan Dark Bronzing Spray

This was my first time to try a bronzing spray so I was pretty excited and at the same time clueless on how I should do it. The spray does have instructions on the label but, you know, I'm worried that I might apply it unevenly or something... :P

Anyway, here's a photo of my arm (I don't wax my arm if that's what you're thinking) next to my leg. As you can see, my leg is around 3 tones whiter than my arm. I want their colors to look close so that my legs don't look odd when I wear skirts.

And here's how my leg looks like after I sprayed it with  St. Tropez Self Tan Dark Bronzing Spray:

Looks better, don't you think? At least now my legs don't look like they'll glow in the dark as described by a friend. LOL

I think I'll get used to this color for my legs. :D

Here are some tips on how to use the product from the Sephora website:

Suggested Usage:
-Shake well before use.
-Hold the container approximately six inches away from your skin and spray with light sweeping strokes.
-Close your eyes and take a deep breath before spraying the face.
-To prevent staining of household objects, avoid over-spray.
-Dress after 60 seconds and leave on the skin for a minimum of four hours.
-It is preferable to leave the guide color overnight or for up to eight hours for best results.
-Apply every four to seven days to maintain the tan.
-Reapply to deepen or maintain color as often as you like. 

Precautions:
-Pressurized container: Protect from sunlight and do not expose to temperatures exceeding 50°C.
-Do not pierce or burn, even after use.
-Do not spray on a naked flame or any incandescent material.
-Keep away from sources of ignition.
-No smoking.
-Keep out of reach of children.
-Do not use for any purpose other than that which the product is intended.
-Avoid contact with painted or polished surfaces.
-This product does not contain a sunscreen and does not protect against sunburn. Repeated exposure of unprotected skin while tanning may increase the risk of skin aging, skin cancer, and other harmful effects to the skin, even if you do not burn.

Just follow the instructions carefully and you won't have any problems. I feared that it might look orangey, pinkish, or beigey on my skin but it turned out nicely. It doesn't smell bad after spraying and it doesn't stain my sheets when I sleep.

The fake tan from the spray will last around a week. I just have to spray again... It's easy to use and I like that I don't have to expose my skin to the sun... I don't want to damage my skin so much. I'm super thankful to my ate for getting me this. :D

Do you use bronzing sprays? From which brand? :)

Cheers,
DAWN

NOTD: Juicy Watermelon

Hello dearies!

Sharing my NOTD that is super fun and easy to do. This is a nice summer look (although it's already starting to rain here). Anyway, it's still hot even if it rains so a juicy watermelon is still awesome to have... on your nails. LOL

The nail art looks so fresh but it will only take you less than 10 minutes to finish all your nails. ;)

These are the polishes I used.

For the base, I used that warm peachy pink shade from Skin Food (RE108). And then I applied the lime green one (BL505) at the tip. Finally, I added the "seeds" using a dark brown shade (BR611). I used the Orly one as bottom coat and the Jocarste glitter polish on top to add the "juicy" look. 

I really like the outcome. I did some mistakes on some though like I made the seeds too big on the pointy finger. Haha!

And that's it for my NOTD. Hope you guys like it. And if you will do this as well, I'd like to see how you did yours and what nail polishes you used! :)

Cheers,

DAWN