Smashbox Always Sharp Waterproof Kohl Liner

Hello dearies!

I've been using eyeliner a lot on my upper lash line. I like to wear the dramatic, winged liner the most and I usually use liquid or gel type eyeliners. I already love the effect of liquids and gels, but I would still try pencils from time to time, even though I'm already convinced that they are better of as liner for my lower lash line because my lids are just too darn oily! Haha!

The most recent pencil type liner I got is the...

Smashbox Always Sharp Waterproof Kohl Liner

I got this from a set I bought on sale at Beauty Bar. It was included in the Smashbox On The Rocks Eye Essentials. Got it for PhP 1,017.50. Original price was PhP 1,850.00.

Info from the website:

On a photo shoot, the crew can't wait around while makeup artists sharpen their pencils. That's why we developed this award-winning kohl eye liner, which self-sharpens automatically every time you twist off the cap. The high-impact, waterproof formula is packed with pigment. It's a precise pencil liner that performs like a liquid. Save time—and keep your eye makeup look totally on point!

TIPS: Want an even more intense eye look? Don't forget to line the inner rim for major definition! One tiwst of the cap will do it. No need to over twist to sharpen!

• BENEFIT: Precise, waterproof, & non-flaking
• Hyper-pigmented kohl for color-rich results
• Can be used on inner rim
• USAGE: One twist of the cap sharpens the liner so your eyes are always on-point!
• INGREDIENTS: Formulated without Parabens, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Phthalates, Fragrance & Talc.
  
  INGREDIENTS: ISODODECANE , SYNTHETIC WAX , PENTAERYTHRITYL STEARATE/CAPRATE/CAPRYLATE/ADIPATE , HYDROGENATED POLYDICYCLOPENTADIENE , ETHYLENE/PROPYLENE COPOLYMER , 

It's available in eight shades according to the website. The one I have is Raven and it's the black shade.

So what makes this different from other liners is that it's always sharp! Well, it really makes a difference when you use a sharp liner, especially for winged lines/cat eye looks, which I absolutely love to wear. 

It also claims to be very pigmented and easy to use because you only have to twist it up!

And here's what it looks like:

As you can see, it really is pigmented and it glides pretty smoothly. However, I have to go back and forth to create a solid color because you can still see some of the lines on my skin exposed. Fortunately, I don't have lines that deep on my eyes so I don't have to do that on my lids!

Now to test how well it performs...

Smudged a couple of times

Rubbed several times while dry

Smudged with water

Rubbed while wet

While it was dry, the line didn't move much. I was quite impressed! Even when it was smudged while wet, the swatch was not completely removed.

On the lids, I applied it smoothly but there were occasions that I had to go back to keep the line solid. The wing was harder to create compared to liquids but I think the one I made was clean enough.

I like that it was matte, but I wish it was blacker. My brow hair is still darker than this. Haha!

Unfortunately, the natural oils on my lids still made the liner smudge all over. *sigh* I guess I can't wear this as my go-to for applying my winged liner. Oh well. 

It does help if I apply an eye primer + powder shadows, but I think I'll stick to liquids and gel liners and use this for the lower lash line instead.

Any thoughts on the  Smashbox Always Sharp Waterproof Kohl Liner? Any recommendations? Comment below!

Cheers,
DAWN

Maybelline The Loaded Bolds in Midnight Date

Hi guys!

Sharing some swatches of one of my favorite lippies lately...

Maybelline The Loaded Bolds in Midnight Date

It's PhP 299.00.

I bought it  from BeautyMNL while it was under a promo. I get two shades of The Loaded Bold Lipsticks from Maybelline, and a bottle of Listerine. I wanted new lippies and I needed mouthwash so it was a win-win purchase! However, I just took a chance on the colors I'll get because the shades inclided in the promo was already fixed. The other shade was black and I thought I could use one while the other one (which is this one) was a deep dark shade and I know that reds compliment me pretty well. So obviously, I bought them and I have no regrets because I LOVE the shades I got, especially this one!

Here's the product description from the website:

WHAT IT IS

Color Sensational® Loaded Bolds Lipstick. Maybelline’s creamy lip color is available in a collection of full-spectrum shades from jet black to bright white.

BENEFITS

Hypercolor pigments and an opaque, creamy clay base deliver one-stroke intensity. Sumptuous honey nectar leaves a creamy finish. Maybelline’s Color Sensational The Loaded Bolds is available in a range of pigment-loaded shades from deep plums and electric blues to vibrant reds and natural nudes. Dermatologist tested. Allergy tested.

HOW TO USE/APPLY

Step 1. Apply lipstick in the center of your upper lip and follow the contours of your mouth. Step 2. Glide the lipstick across the entire bottom lip.

INGREDIENTS: 

ISONONYL ISONONANOATE ● OCTYLDODECANOL ● OLEYL ERUCATE ● SILICA ● CERA ALBA / BEESWAX ● PHENYL TRIMETHICONE ● SYNTHETIC WAX ● SESAMUM INDICUM SEED OIL / SESAME SEED OIL ● PEG-45/DODECYL GLYCOL COPOLYMER ● PARAFFIN ● CERA MICROCRISTALLINA / MICROCRYSTALLINE WAX ● KAOLIN ● DISTEARDIMONIUM HECTORITE ● DIMETHICONE ● TOCOPHERYL ACETATE ● PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRA-DI-T-BUTYL HYDROXYHYDROCINNAMATE ● ALUMINA ● ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE ● BENZYL ALCOHOL ● MEL / HONEY ● CALCIUM ALUMINUM BOROSILICATE ● SYNTHETIC FLUORPHLOGOPITE ● CALCIUM SODIUM BOROSILICATE ● POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE ● TOCOPHEROL ● HYDROGENATED PALM GLYCERIDES CITRATE ● ACRYLATES COPOLYMER ● TIN OXIDE ● PARFUM / FRAGRANCE ● [+/- MAY CONTAIN MICA ● CI 77891 / TITANIUM DIOXIDE ● CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 / IRON OXIDES ● CI 45410 / RED 28 LAKE ● CI 45380 / RED 22 LAKE ● CI 15850 / RED 7 ● CI 15985 / YELLOW 6 LAKE ● CI 19140 / YELLOW 5 LAKE ● CI 42090 / BLUE 1 LAKE ● CI 75470 / CARMINE ● ] F.I.L. D166274/8

The packaging is pretty much the same as the other Maybelline Color Sensational Lipsticks, but the cap is blue in color. The color really fits the name "Loaded Bolds" because it's very pigmented. All the shades in this line are and you can get unusual colors too like white and blue!

The reason why I love this lippie so much is that the color is a deep red wine shade!

Look at that beautiful swatch! It's solid red with blue undertones!

It gives a sexy vibe and it's the perfect late night date lipstick.

What do you think of the Maybelline The Loaded Bolds in Midnight Date?

Cheers,
DAWN

Bath&BodyWorks: Aromatherapy - Sleep Lavender Vanilla Sugar Scrub

Hello ladies!

 

I've recently moved to San Francisco for my two year masters and have had quite a skin predicament. My skin just immediately dried up and had rough patches especially around the lower back and thigh area. I did up my "daily" (cause I was lazy) dose of lotion from once a day to twice a day with accompanying oil and Nivea In-Shower lotion but alas, rough edges remains.

 

Since a loofa is discouraged by my derma - I get red dots which look like hemorrhages on my skin after loofa - I went looking for a salt scrub or something similar for my exfoliation needs.

 

I went with Bath&BodyWorks simply because it's the nearest one to where I am currently residing.

 

 

The aromatherapy sugar scrub line has 4 aromas: eucalyptus spearmint (stress relief), lavender vanilla (sleep), orange ginger (energy), and eucalyptus tea (stress relief). When I went shopping they only had the lavender vanilla and eucalyptus tea in the store. I honestly just grabbed lavender vanilla because of the big word: SLEEP, and I do not regret choosing it.

 

So the product really does smell very relaxing and sleep inducing. The instruction actually says to breathe in deep while you are doing your scrub.

 

 

You do have to be very careful when opening it as it's very fluid on top, which I think is all the essential oils, and then settled at the bottom is the sugar.

 

 

To be hygienic, I have designated a plastic spoon to be my scooper. One tablespoon is about the best amount for me to use during exfoliation. I do this once or twice a week.

 

 

The exfoliation is quite gentle and the texture is a little rougher than a salt scrub. It feels like it melts away after sometime while you're scrubbing and it leaves a smooth film over your skin. It has slowly but surely improved the texture of my skin. After just two scrubs the rough patches are gone and only visual traces of them remains.

 

However, it doesn't really help me sleep faster, but it does uplift my spirits and calm me down after a hectic day.

 

This product is not animal tested and since it's sugar, it will not deposit any small material that are harmful to fish.

 

One tub costs $16.00 and I think is just about right since it can last you a long time. Just be sure to use a spoon so you can measure your use well.

 

Anyway, that's it for this short review of this product. I'll post more in the coming days about my current skin care routine and the current condition of my skin. And I promise the products I will review will be available in the Philippines as well. :)

 

Cheers,

LIZ

Careline Girl Gang Event: Sneak Peek to Their Newest Products + Meet the Brand Ambassador/s

Hello loves!!!

Your creativity sets you apart from everyone else. Showing your creative side on how you present yourself shows your individuality and it also makes you look more confident because you're just uniquely you! That's what the new Careline event was all about—being BETTER THAN BASIC! 

The event, which took place last week, was sort of like a sneak peek of their newest products and a meet and greet with their ambassadors. I've only recently started going to events again so I was pretty excited to get back to the business. Getting first peek on what a brand is launching is always awesome, especially since you get to try them out first hand. In the last event I attended prior to this one, I was an hour late so I made sure that I arrive early... and I was early for about half an hour. Being the early bird has its perks because I get to take stills of the products to be launched without having to wait to get a clean shot (without other people on the way. Haha!).

There was a table that was beautifully decorated. It's so edgy and colorful. I LOVE IT! I like those differently colored lights that set up a youthful ambiance and I love that black and white fonts that make the overall look edgy. The statement boards with the brand name and tag lines, plus the silver sequins add boldness too. All in all, I think every detail works great together with the brand's identity because Careline is a brand that caters to the "tweens" or the adolescents. Just check out the photos below to see how photogenic the whole set up is:

Awesome, right? So what products did you notice while checking the photos above?

To be honest, when I first had a glimpse of the table, my eyes immediately landed on the liquid lipsticks. There were just soooo many shades! And when I asked the person attending the table about the shades, she mentioned that there are fifteen shades. FIFTEEN! But's I'll get to that in a bit...

On the table, there were also makeup vanity mirrors equipped with makeup removers and cotton pads so that we can play around with the products. AWESOME! 

So what were the products that I was able to try out?

These travel-friendly eyeshadow palettes that has fifteen shades each. There's a cool-toned palette, a warm-nude palette, and the last one is what I would describe as the colorful one because it's a mix of nude and bold colors. The eyeshadows are pigmented, but a bit powdery. The strengths of these would be the color selection and the size that perfectly fits on your pocket!

The next products are the liquid lipsticks!!!! WOOOOT! The packaging is the usual clear plastic container where you see the shade easily. The box on the other hand has a new look from the brand. It's a bolder, sleeker, and more youthful (from the bright colors) look. 

So why am I excited with these liquid lipsticks? First, the huge color selection. I mentioned there were fifteen, right? What made it even MORE AWESOME is that they're not just mattes... three of them are metallics!!! Wooot!!!

And I'm sure you'll love the colors because...

Six of them are neutral shades...

While the other six are bold colors!

And three are metallics, which are called Melted Metallic Lipsticks.

The two photos above are the Matte Liquid Lipsticks and I arranged them in what I think would look gradient... but I think I messed it up because the fourth on the left should be the second... Haha! ANYWAY, thanks to fellow bloggers Kim and Andy (and her arm), I got a better swatch shot of the lippies!!

The first three are the Melted Metallics, while the last twelve are the Matte Liquid Lipsticks.

From left to right:

Luster, Prince, Live Wire, Semi Sweet, Glaze, Normcore, Gotta Go, Tutu, Brick'D, Craving, Upper Hand, In Bloom, Pop, Dark Matter, Wallflower

I was able to take home three of these shades namely Livewire, Glaze, and Craving. Gonna share a separate post for individual swatches and how it look when applied on my lips. Stay tuned for that, okay?

If you're impressed with the pigments like I was, then you might love that it's soooo long-lasting! It took me 3-4 swipes of a cotton pad drenched with makeup remover for some of it's pigments to move from my arm. I've also used it and it doesn't dry my lips much.

If you're interested in getting any of these babies, they are now available in the market with an intro price of only PhP 195.00. Get them soon because it will return to it's regular price of PhP 210.00 after a few weeks... not sure when exactly though. :P

But the excitement doesn't end there because my eyes landed on another group of pretty things during the event...

Check these out! These are cream sticks for the face!  But what are they exactly?

Each tube caters to a different function.

From left to right:

Blur Stick, Brighten Stick, Strobe Stick, Contour Stick, Rose Stick, Peach Stick

From the names, each stick is self-explanatory. Each product glided smoothly and were pigmented. They were also easy to blend-out. I wasn't able to use it on the face though. The Brighten Stick is pretty close to my face's color so it doesn't really do much brightening and the contour might be a bit dark but that's just my quick assumption. I have yet to try it out to get to a conclusion. I do love that they have a pink and a peach shade for the blush colors! The Strobe Stick looks great btw! It gives an instant dewy finish!

I'm not sure when this will be available, I heard from Liz of Project Vanity that these might be release on 2018. I'll try to keep an eye on the release and update you guys. ;)

I also encountered these two beautiful things. It's a pen type eyeliner and twist-up brow pencil!

The eyeliner gives a VERY BLACK swatch! It's waterproof too! When I got home after the event, I was surprised that this swatch was still intact!

The brow pencil only has one shade so I don't know how it will work on my dark brow hair. But what I like about it is the consistency. It's not waxy and the pigment is there but still sheer enough to easily create a more natural finish.

There were mascaras too! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to try them out. There's one for lengthening and I would guess that the other one specializes on adding volume.

The eyeliner, brow pencil, and mascaras aren't available yet if I understood correctly, but I believe that they will be within the year.

PHEW!

That's a lot of products to watch out for, huh? But the party doesn't stop there. The main event was that we get to meet Careline's celebrity endorser!

And it's none other than the pretty Andrea Brillantes!

That's me with the new Careline Ambassador!

I can't believe she has grown up to this beautiful young lady! I still remember seeing her at the television show Going Bulilit! 

When asked about what advice she could give to young girls and boys, she said that we should be confident with ourselves. I can't remember what she said in verbatim, but what I understood from her answer is that no matter what you wear or products you use, if you are not confident in your own skin, then you won't feel good. I definitely agree, Andrea! Love yourself, express who you truly are, and from there, you'll be more confident, beautiful, and joyful!

(photo from event)

BUT WAIT, there's still more! You might be wondering why the event is called #CarelineGirlGang. It's because Andrea is backed up by four other beautiful ladies to represent the brand. 

(photo from event)

These girls were among hundreds who joined the search for the Careline Girl Gang.  When I read their entries on the model search, I saw that some of the answers have something in common. And that is they want to be a voice for the younger generation, to let them know that everyone should be confident with themselves because each of us is beautiful. I like that their thoughts sync well with Andrea's!

I had fun discovering what's to come from Careline. The products all look promising and the girls look great and I'm sure that many teens will be able to relate to them and look up to them. I also like that our local makeup brands are stepping up their game!

For more info regarding the event and the new products, check out this press release from the brand (it's like a summary of what I've written above. Haha!): 

Meet the new #CarelineGirlGang!

Thanks to the popularity of blog reviews and YouTube tutorials, teenage Filipinas know a lot more about makeup and are up to date with the latest trends. Careline Cosmetics has long been the brand of choice for young girls who are just starting to put together their kikay kits, so it was only apt for the brand to have its own makeover session!

Last August 17, Careline Cosmetics revealed its fresh, new look at a special press launch in BGC. Channeling the hip, fashion-forward vibe of its market, the brand introduced teen star Andrea Brillantes as the new face of Careline. Together with the winners of the Careline Girl Gang Search (Megu Demetrio, Alyana Chapman, Azusa Masu, and Regine Lacanienta), Careline showcased the Careline Girl Gang film and celebrated their brand makeover by debuting two new product lines at the event.

The Careline Matte Liquid Lipsticks (P195 introductory price, P210 regular price) boasts of 12 gorgeous shades that range from nudes to dramatic blues and purples. Packaged in sleek clear tubes that display the lip color, the formula is lightweight, fast-drying, long-lasting, waterproof and transfer-proof once set. While it's opaque in a single swipe, the liquid lipstick's light formula allows it to be layered on to build a more dramatic color.

For the more adventurous, the brand also unveiled the Careline Melted Metallic Lipsticks (P195 introductory price, P210 regular price) in three dazzling shades. The formula is creamy enough to glide on lips during application then sets into a flat metal finish that definitely makes any look stand out. These can be worn alone or on top of the Matte Liquid Lipsticks, allowing for a practically infinite number of fun color combinations. Both formulas are also paraben-free.

As a preview of the more exciting things to come, Careline gave a sneak peek into their upcoming products. The proposed lineup includes Multi Sticks (Peach, Rose, Contour, Brighten, Strobe, and Blur), Mascaras (Go Big and Go Long, P185 each), a Best Brow Liner pencil (P140), and the waterproof Graph-Ink Liner (P170). The mascaras, brow pencil, and eyeliner pen are slated for release later this year. Careline's newest products are available in leading department stores and at Watsons.

"Gone are the days

of super cutesy

makeup concepts.

Careline is going

bold and keeping in

step with the hottest

trends in beauty."

- Denice Sy, Ever Bilena

Accounts Manager

If you're interested to see more about Careline, do check out their Facebook Page, Twitter, and Instagram!

But before I go, here's a lip swatch of their Melted Matte Lipstick in Prince!

Underneath Prince is Normcore. It was a nude one that's near my lip color but browner.

And that's my report regarding the Careline Girl Gang event! Which part made you most excited???

Cheers,DAWN