What I LOVE: Makeup Blending Sponges

Hey everyone!

Some of my friends ask me how I do my makeup. They know about my acne problems and the dark pimple scars I have and they wanted to know why my foundation doesn't look thick. What I am trying to say is that with all the makeup I use to cover those annoying blemishes, my makeup still looks good and not overly made up (according to them at least). 

What I use are these makeup blending sponges. I've been using these for more than a year and I have loved them since the first day I have used them. They make my foundation look air brushed! No streaks whatsoever! I'm not even exaggerating. The shape avoids leaving streaks that brushes and flat sponges can leave behind and the slimmer top part can reach angles of your face easily for an even application and the pointy tip can be used as a concealer applicator. They also get rid of the sticky feeling you get from thick liquid foundations. They do lessen the coverage of my heavy-coveraged foundations though but I just build them up anyway. :P

I soak these in water until they are soaked evenly. I then squeeze the water out and dry it with a towel. Unlike what the instructions labeled on the packaging of the Beauty Blender, I use a foundation brush or my fingers first and apply the liquid foundation on my face then blend it with my sponges. 

These sponges make the blending of the foundations easier and faster. :D

I have used sponges from 3 brands so far...

The most popular and my favorite is the Beauty Blender. This one started the egg-shaped sponge craze. I wouldn't be surprised because this works really well. It's the best among the three sponges I've used and I will share with you why.

The Beauty Blender is the softest one I've used and it bounces when you lightly dab it on your skin. I think it's because it's the one that can hold the most water and it expands the most out of all the three sponges. Check the photo on the top and the photo above to see how big it got when I wet it. When dry, it was smaller than the two other sponges, but when wet, it got bigger. I'm not sure why but I think those characteristics may be the reason why it's softer. 

I really love this product and I already bought a second one. With proper care, like using the Blender cleanser, it can last around 6-8 months (or even more). The first one I got was still usable at 8-10 months even though some parts at the bottom started to flake off. I love that the life span is long but I don't appreciate that it's so expensive (It's around Php 1,000 on online shops here). Well, I guess I can overlook the price if it gives my foundation a good finish. :D

The second one I got is the Too Cool For School Marshmallow Puff.

This one is pretty affordable... I think this is somewhere around Php 279.00. 

This one isn't as soft as the Beauty Blender but this is softer than the third sponge, which I will mention later. Unlike the Beauty Blender, this one doesn't expand twice its size... maybe just a few millimeters. 

This didn't last too long though. Within 5 months, it started to disintegrate. Haha! I exaggerated on that one, but it just suddenly started flaking off! The pink material started falling all over the place and it was not usable anymore because the parts of the sponge just mix with the foundation. But even with that experience, I still think that this sponge served me well. It still gave my makeup a great finish and it's very affordable!

The last sponge that I've used is from Etude House...

Etude House Baby Doll Puff

This costs Php 378.00. A bit more expensive than Too Cool For School's. This is harder than the other two sponges too. I don't appreciate that it's more expensive yet it's not very soft. Application is not as comfortable (it's not bouncy soft!) compared with the other two.

It still gives an airbrushed finish when I use this so it's still good. I still use this after 6 months but I recently noticed that the bottom started to harden. It gets rough which becomes annoying to use so I think I will be retiring this now unfortunately. 

And those are the sponges I have used so far. I plan on getting another Beauty Blender soon but I am willing to try egg sponges from other brands. 

I always wash them before I use them again. I NEVER use any of these while they still have foundation from previous application. I used the Blender cleanser before which easily cleans these sponges. But if you don't want to spend so much on the cleanser, the dishwashing soap from Daiso is actually a good alternative! I just pump twice the dishwashing soap, rub it at the outside part of the wet sponge then start squeezing the sponge. You'll see that the foundation stains are gone and the sponges are pink and clean again!

Oh, I think it's good to mention that the Beauty Blender and the Etude House Baby Doll Puff are non-latex and are non-allergenic. Not sure with the one from TCFS, I can't find the info on that.

And that's my post about my makeup blending sponges! Do you also use this? What do you love about them? :)

Cheers,
DAWN

US Trip (2014) Haul Part 1

Hey everyone!

My vacation in the US will be over soon and I'll be back in Manila on the 26th. I really had fun during the last few weeks and I'll make sure to enjoy the last couple of days here. I am considering blogging my 3 week vacation (it's gonna be a long post LOL) but I'll probably make it a few days or maybe a week later when I get back. :P

For now, I'll just share some of the beauty products I bought while staying over my friend's place in Los Angeles, the first stop of my trip. I stayed here for 7 days. Most of the beauty products bought were for daily use since I didn't bring much makeup with me (my luggage was almost full).

First off, drugstore makeup at Target. I didn't bring any concealer or loose powder with me...

Rimmel ScandalEyes Kohl Liner in 005 Nude

NYX Full Coverage Concealer in a Jar in Beige

Sonia Kashuk Undetectable Loose Powder

No7 Precision Lip Pencil in Nude

Maybelline Illegal Length Mascara

No7 Beautifully Matte Foundation in Deeply Beige

I bought a lot of nudes since it's the safest makeup I can use while on trip. I bought some No7's because one of my favorite makeup artists, Lisa Eldridge, used this brand on many of her makeup tutorials. I wanted to try this out myself and bought a couple since this brand is not in our country yet.

Next stop is at Sephora! Of course I had to stop by at one of their stores ASAP. :P

Too Faced Beauty Blogger Darlings Set

NARS Light Reflecting Loose Powder

Make Up For Ever Aqua Liner

Beauty Blender
Clinique Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector

I got some freebies too. Sachets from Murad and Dr. Dennis Gross.

I bought another Beauty Blender because I am not satisfied with the foundation brush I bought. LOL. The beauty blogger kit from Too Faced is such a great deal! It has everything I needed during the trip—a primer, an eyeshadow primer, and a bronzer! And all these have great reviews online so I can't wait to try them out!

Of course I had to buy some artsy stuff during my tours in museums like in The Getty and LACMA...

I thought that I came here to appreciate American Art but I am just too in-love with French Impressionism and Japanese art. :P

And since I am so inspired to draw after seeing so many beautiful artworks, I went to Micheal's and bought me some art materials so that I have something to do during my spare time in my trip.

I also bought some clothes (which are in the laundry while I am making this post), a 1 inch hair iron, and a DKNY Bag. I'll take pictures of these on my next haul post. :P

These aren't even half of the stuff I bought. I already told my mom that I'll give her most of my salary for the next coming months. I feel guilty for all the shopping I bought using my supplementary card. LOL (She's cool with it just so we're clear). Hope you stay tune for the next part!

I'll leave you with this fresh, pretty peonies from my best friend's room. 

Aren't they just lovely? :D

Cheers,
DAWN

Christmas Haul (2013) Part 3

Hello dears!

Here's the last part of my Christmas haul. I'll probably control my spending for a long while after these. But rest assured I'll make reviews and swatch posts on the makeup items! :) So if you find something interesting, just comment them below so I can make the post about it sooner. :)

First is this awesome gift from my sister, Tracy. She got me this special offer from Shiseido wherein you can buy this set for only Php 3,500.00 (Original price is Php 5k+) if you buy products worth at least Php 2,000. You can view what she bought for herself in THIS POST.

The set includes the following:

Shiseido Sheer and Perfect Foundation in 060 Natural Deep Ochre (Original Price Php 2,200)

Shiseido Luminizing Satin Eye Color Trio in RD711 (Original Price Php 1,998.00)

Shiseido Shimmering Rouge in RD601 (Original Price Php 1,250.00)

and a fabulous Gold Bag!

It's very roomy. Perfect to store some of my favorite makeup! :D

We also got a free glittery silver pouch! LOVE!

Next are products from ARTDECO that were on sale at Beauty Bar:

ARTDECO Beauty Highlights—Php 852.50 (Original Price was Php 1,550.00)

Includes an Eyeshadow Base, Perfect Teint Concealer, Soft Eye Liner Waterproof, and an All in One Mascara.

 ARTDECO Glam Stars Shimmer Cream- Php 192.00

ARTDECO Glam Stars Liquid Eye Liner - Php 150.00

Then I bought these items from Digital Traincase which were at 13% off:

 A beauty blender and a NYX Matte Lipstick in Audrey - Paid only Php 1.2k+

And then some more shopping from Eazy Fashion (paid 1,468.00 all in all, shipping included in the total):

I don't have an orange bag so I bought this 

These pens are disappointing. The picture showed different colors but got this instead. In writes neatly though.

Alphabet Stamps. I have no idea why I bought it but it definitely comes in handy when I do my arts and crafts

This cute iPhone 4s case. It's bulky but my phone looks so awesome with it on! It looks a lot like my new camera!

Fujifilm x100 - Php 30,100.00
My favorite purchase of all! This is where all my Christmas bonus went. I'm super in-love with it! I have no other words to describe it...just awesome, awesome, AWESOME!

That's all, guys! I know that most of my posts in the past couple of weeks were haul posts but expect more beauty reviews and makeup looks after this. Promise! :)

Cheers,

DAWN