BYS Prismatic Eyeshadow Palette

Hello lovelies!

I'm a big fan of glitters and I love adding sparkles when I do my makeup once in a while... and I don't mean a few glitters, I want shiny sparkles! I usually like the glitters on my eyeshadow, but I rarely find the eyeshadow that has the chunks of shiny glitter that I like. I only find shimmery ones and often are just metallic. When I do find some with chunky glitters, they are usually cream type eyeshadows and those rarely last long on my oily lids. 

So when I saw that BYS Cosmetics had a sale on their eyeshadow palettes, I was interested to check out their collection and saw this...

BYS Prismatic Eyeshadow Palette

October-November (2018) Haul

Hey dolls!

How was your Christmas? Mine has been pleasant and I spent Christmas eve shopping and eating, which is pretty much a must during the holidays. Haha! Anyway, I'll share with you my Christmas haul sometime soon but for now, let me share with you the products I bought during the last two months. The sales were endless during the -ber months and online shopping sites took advantage of the festive season by creating soooo many massive discounts and I am one of the victims of shopping splurges. The last couple of months were stressful for me also so a good retail therapy happened and I felt better. Hahaha!

Even though I used a lot of money to buy these, I have no regrets and I'm happy with most of my buys and will make reviews (if I haven't posted them yet) and post them on the blog. So without further a do, here are the items I bought during October and November this year...

First off are my BeautyMNL purchases. They had many buy 1 take 1 products. Some of the items in the picture above were shared with officemates so that we don't have to pay separate shipping fees.

Review: Daiso Make-Up Brush Cleaner + Giveaway

Good evening ladies!

As many of you already know, Dawn and I are fans of Daiso products for our everyday tools and what not. So as I was shopping to restock my usual Daiso items (among other things) this caught my eye...

I have to admit that it has been a long time since I washed my make-up brushes and it's only now that I got to washing them again, and mainly because I wanted to try this brush cleaner.

Here's the product information at the back. It has an English instructions but for you who cannot read it well, here's what it says:

• Remove dirt from the make-up brush and puff to keep the cleanser clean. Wash the brush and puff on a regular basis in order to use it longer. No damage user's skin. Easy to clean.

For the How to wash brushes instructions I will incorporate the pictures I took while following said instructions and input my comments at the end. :)

HOW TO WASH BRUSHES

• Put the cleaner into the container (I assumed any basin would do), and dip the brush thoroughly.

• Wash it like drawing a circle with running water.
• Dry it with a towel and then arrange ends of the wool. Lastly, dry again naturally.

Obviously I did not follow the second instruction as I used their egg sponge which made everything really easy.

I find that this product is very water-conserving. I know the instructions says dip thoroughly, but I actually just dipped the tip of a dry brush and scrubbed it straight into the egg sponge. To my amazement, even that small amount was able to create a lot of lather and easily cleaned my brushes clean. In retrospect it must have been a wiser decision to take a picture of my white haired brushes so you can see how it really cleans it well.

However, I did find that this product works well with brushes you use for powders, blushes and compacts but not so much for liquids and creams. I used this for my Laneige BB cream puff and it did little to remove all the BB cream stains and unused product in the puff. 

For lipstick brushes, it lathers up less than it does for the other products (see above picture) but it removes most of the creamy and sticky residues on the brush (see picture below).

It does not remove the color stains as well as it does for powder, blush, and compact brushes but it does the job well.

It rinses off quick too. I am used to using hair shampoo for cleaning my make-up brushes and I find that this wastes too much water, it doesn't lather up as quick and it takes so much to rinse off. I also tried the joy + oil combination for cleaning brushes and although that really does a deep cleaning of the brushes, it also wastes a lot of water during rinse off.

After drying the brushes, both synthetic and real hair brush feel smooth and clean. So it can be used for any type of brushes.

How much? It's a Daiso product so it costs around Php 88 for a 150 mL bottle. If you don't have a lot of brushes to clean, I think it can last you for at least 2-3 months depending on how often you wash them. If you have a lot of brushes, it can probably last 1 month. It's small size is a big let down, and also the variability of it's availability per branch makes it hard to find. I found this at Robinsons Ermita branch and I hope they stock up on it in other branches as well.

So finally, after a long time, I have gathered a small treat for you guys. This is a long overdue birthday giveaway but since it's way past my birthday, I'm just going to label this as a summer/flores de mayo giveaway.

Included in this give away are:

Cream Silk Standout Straight leave-on cream

Vitress Hair Solutions hair cuticle coat

Daiso Make-up Brush Cleaner

BYS Kohl Eyelining Pencil in 103 Sky Blue and Silver Glitter

1 Skin Food Food Therapy Dual Effect Snail Mask Sheet

And other Daiso products: Mesh Travel pouch, brow liner, and 3 hair accessories.

Like always, please follow all instructions indicated in the link below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway will run for 1 month starting today unti June 10, 2016.

Well, have fun sharing and hope you like this giveaway!

Cheers,
LIZ

BYS Nude 2 Eyeshadow Palette

Good evening,

I am a big fan of nude palettes and my most favorite from my stash is Urban Decay's Naked Palette. Therefore, the first time I laid eyes on the Nude palette from BYS, I just had to start comparing it. I own a Naked palette and have only seen the Nude palette from BYS, and I have to say they look very much the same. You could fool me into thinking that it actually that they are one and the same. 

However, this product, admittedly, was from the BYS anniversary event and I was given the Nude 2. 

I had originally thought that this was a dupe of Naked 2 but unlike the original Nude palette which was spot on, this wasn't.

Image Source: http://www.urbandecay.com/naked-2-palette-by-urban-decay/282.html#q=naked+2&start=1

It kind of felt like an in between dupe of Naked and Naked 2 only with lighter colors. Plus I can't say I love all the choices they put because there are so much more metallic shades which I am not a big fan of.

On the bright side, the product is pretty decent. I have to say sorry about my camera work because it does not do the product justice. It has a decent color payout and transfers well from brush to skin.

Packaging for me is ok because the covering on the lid holding the mirror always feels a little loose. I have never used the brushes that come with it, mainly because I prefer brushes with longer handles since they give me better control and also because the free brushes tend to fall out whenever I open the palette. I love the mirror though, because of its size and clarity making this palette a nice traveling companion.

It costs around Php 1,199.00 which arguably is quite a good price.

So will I buy this again? Come time my Naked palette has breathed its last, I'd most probably buy the Nude palette as its replacement since I get pretty much the same colors and performance for half the price.

Anyway, hope this helps you wrap your weekend.

Cheers,

LIZ

Mini Review: BYS Brow Definition Kit 3

Hello ladies,

It hasn't been long since I've shifted my favorite brow tool from pencil to a palette, and this little kit from BYS has got me into thinking this might be my holy grail.

Sorry about the dirty product, I forgot to take a photo of it prior to testing it. So this brow kit has a black, a brown, a flesh color, and a wax to help the color stick better.

Here are some product information and instructions on how to use.

It has quite a high color pay-out, just one dab and it cover the whole of my eyebrow (well one eyebrow). It needs a little getting used to as it's easy to over do it. So when using it, I advise doing it one dab at a time until you're satisfied with the intensity. And if you're still not happy about the intensity or want it to look really strong and lasting, mix the wax in.

Here is a picture of my brows bare (above) and then with the product (below).

It's also very hard to erase and lasts the whole day long. Also, it doesn't stick onto other things when your face starts getting oily.

I really like this product and would definitely buy another one once it runs out but I think it will take a while before I'd need to buy a refill. Hopefully, they don't discontinue it.

Cheers,

LIZ

Cream Silk Transformations: Spotlight on the #ModernFilipina

Good evening ladies,

I am in a bit of a transition in life. For four years I was reared to be a clinician by my alma mater and immediately after passing my boards, I decided to not get into residency and to become a researcher doctor. It was a big change and I had no idea where to start. So like all big changes in my life, I start with getting my hair done. I think all women tend to do this as well and that is why Cream Silk has made this as it's new campaign.

Last January 23, Cream Silk launched: Cream Silk Transformations: Spotlight on the #ModernFilipina. It was a whole afternoon dedicated to women who have constantly challenged themselves from being good to great. Cream Silk collaborated with the country's top magazines - Cosmopolitan, Meg, MEGA, Metro, Preview, and Yes! - and offered a variety of activities that empowered the attendees and ready them for the transformations they plan on making. There were different workshops and talks at each booth, and different activities which highlighted diversity that is the #ModernFilipina.

I was happy enough to share the day with fellow Modern Filipinas, Erika, Helen, and Gen-zel! It was my first really big event so it's great to have a great company to shake of the first-time jitters.

The first booth that we went to was from Meg. They gave us a chance to express our inner artistic self. The instruction was to draw how we do our everyday make-up. I'm not that very experimental when it comes to make-up so I basically went neutral. I know Dawn would have loved the whole activity and would have made a super artsy make-up. But anyway, after we saw Erika draw hair on hers, we kind of wanted ours to have hair as well. See how they look so similar to us with hair on? Can you guess who these belong to?

Afterwards, Meg gave us a BYS loot bag and a copy of their December to January issue.

Next booth which we were able to catch up to was Mega, and they were doing some fashion tips, dressing up your look with accessories (to be more precise). They called in volunteers to try and dress up their current look.

After the demo and tips, they gave out a copy of their magazine and L'Occitane deluxe samples.

We circled around other booths but only caught up with a few. Cosmopolitan gave a talk on what to save and what to splurge and also an inspirational talk about taking risks for the things you value.

At the Cream Silk lounge guests completed the experience through hair transformations. To demonstrate that only Cream Silk can transform any hair problem to beyond beautiful, hair experts assessed hair needs and recommended the best styles to highlight assets.

The booth also featured a mini salon by Blo, where the guest could get their hair done in their style of choice. Judging by the length of the line, women really do start embracing change by transforming their hair.

As a fitting and grand finale, the audience was treated to the first ever live cover shoot experience to unveil the new roster of Cream Silk Modern Filipinas. Cream Silk and the top magazines styled and photographed the newest endorsers on stage, in front of event attendees.  Joining Heart Evangelista on the covers of the publications’ March issues are the country’s leading ladies Nadine Lustre, Coleen Garcia, Julie Anne San Jose, Rachelle Ann Go and Yassi Pressman, who have all embarked on their own journeys of transformations.  

While waiting for the grand finale, Helen and I decided to get our hair done.

Here is our transformed Modern Filipina look. What do you think?

To add, to the already impressive line up, Cream Silk also welcomed home Pia Wurtzbach, on her first Philippine appearance as Ms. Universe. Pia epitomizes the most inspiring transformation of the Modern Filipina yet, set to conquer the universe! With a beauty that inspires, determined to realize her dreams, she has come back to make her positive mark in the world, taking her well deserved walk at Cream Silk’s event.

And to help us start with our transformations, or keep at them, Cream Silk has given us full sizes of their products to answer all our hair needs.

They also threw in a gift cheque for Blo.

Join Cream Silk and these Modern Filipinas in inspiring  and empowering others to experience their own transformations. Share your own experience on social media by posting “One of my #CreamSilkTranformations in 2016 is to___________.”

Cheers,

LIZ

Review: BYS Jumbo Liquid Eyeliner Pen

Good evening ladies,

I have been using this eyeliner pen from BYS since they gave it during their anniversary event last year. I'd gotten so busy in the following months after that event that I kind of forgot to share what I thought about it. So here's my review of this product.

At first, I wasn't all that happy about this eyeliner pen. First, it's JUMBO, so naturally I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to get a thin line with it. Second, when I first tried it during the event, I had to put some pressure before getting the line I want (thus I thought it was going to be one painful liner to apply). It laid around my make-up stash for sometime until I had to travel and pack light so (at the time) I felt forced to use it. After my second use, I never parted from it again.

I guess since I left it with the point down, it had enough time to soak the felt so when I used it again,it glided smoothly over my lids. One swipe and you get a jet black finish. The line is not as harsh as the older pen/brush type liquid liners and to me looks more like an in between gel and pencil. Also I found that I had better control with the jumbo than with my old thin pens.

Here's a swatch I did on my hand. 

It looks a little less appealing since I tried drawing a very thin line.

Anyway, here it is after vigorous rubbing.

Since I am prone to rubbing my eyes, I tried simulating that here. The fade out is still quite acceptable and I like the fact that it doesn't smudge as much.

Unlike previous reviews where I have picture of my eye immediately after putting make-up on, I opted to post the after 10 hours look.

This is exactly why this jumbo liner will be a permanent resident in my make-up stash. I did not retouch nor did I put any eye primers prior to applying the liner. It stayed jet black and without smudge for the whole 10 hours I was at work.

It's very durable but clean up is easy as well. I basically just wet a cotton pad with cleansing water, press it onto my lids for 5 to 10 seconds (no need to rub) and the liner comes off cleanly. I haven't experienced any post-make-up raccoon eyes with this liner so I'm quite happy.

I haven't visited Watsons in a while so I can't give you the price for this liner yet. I will try to update you with the price range as soon as I can.

So, would you give this liner a try? If you have, do share your experience with us.

Cheers,

LIZ

BYS x Glamourbox: Make-up Workshop Event

Good day ladies,

Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to attend a make-up workshop by BYS and Glamourbox at the Center for Aesthetic Studies. 

BYS celebrates its third year and they have partnered with Glamourbox to bring us three of their best selling products: Nude palette (1 and 2), Countour Trio, and Brow Defining Kit. 

These along with other products are featured in the Glamourbox special edition BYS box for September.

To fully utilize these fabulous products, BYS has called on the expertise of Katchi Mejias to educate us on the latest trends on highlighting and contouring. 

First off, she reintroduced us to the contouring technique popularized by Kim Kardashian and then she introduced us to these new terms, "strobing" and "baking".

So first, she showed us tips and tricks to achieving a dewy youthful look by using the strobing technique. So basically strobing is all about highlighting. The trick is to get that balance of dewy glow against the ugly shiny look of a very oily face. Apply highlighter on areas on your face that naturally catches the light. However, if you want to amp up the dewy-ness for an evening look (or for photos), you can get a shimmery eye shadow of the lightest shade and use a fluffy small brush to apply it on top of the highlighter. Do not worry about damaging the make-up underneath the loose powder when you brush it off, doing this also sets your make-up.

Next is "baking". After you've put on your foundation and concealer, you press a liberal amount of your loose powder with a slightly damp wedge brush over your under eye area, over the area of  your cheekbones, on your chin and your temples. Leave it on for about 10 - 15 minutes, or while you do the rest of your eye make-up, then dust it off and blend well. Do make sure to blend well to avoid those camera accidents we see on pictures of some famous Hollywood stars.

Anyway, here is the finished look. Katchi says that red lips are quite popular now also dark lips (browns, plums). 90s make-up is also becoming quite popular again.

And here are the products in the loot bag which can also be found in Glamourbox's BYS Special Edition box plus a nail polish.

I will be featuring these products in an FOTD using the techniques taught to us during the event. Do watch out for that.

Cheers,

LIZ