Japan Trip (2018) Haul

Hello loves!

It's been three weeks since I got back from our trip to Japan. This time I went to Kyoto and Osaka. 

Japan is such a beautiful country and I've always wanted to visit ever since I got obsessed with Anime when I was ten years old. Haha! I'm so fascinated with their art, fashion, and food that I just had to go back. Last year I was in Tokyo and I really enjoyed that trip and that is why I just had to go back and see more of what the country has to offer.

My family decided to go during the spring to see the beautiful trees and flowers. My mom loves looking at them. Our trip to Tokyo last year was during the winter and it was too cold that we couldn't stay outside for a long period of time. Now we get to enjoy a view like these...

FOTD: Simply Pretty

Hi dears!

It was the first day of work this 2016. I honestly didn't want to go to work yet as I am still enjoying the long hours of sleep and the late night series watching, as well as playing beloved Playstation games on my laptop. But adult life is calling and I gotta do what needs to be done. Haha!

Anyway, I decided to keep it simple. Unlike most people, I always go for colorful, bold looks, so it's quite a different look if you see me going out with a very simple face. So here's my simply pretty look of the day:

I kept it simple by using light and natural colors. I also went with mostly mineral makeup because it feels lighter on skin. Most of the mineral makeup I used are from Ellana Mineral Cosmetics:

                             Ellana Pressed Mineral Blush Duo in Light Roast/Butter Rum Coffee

Ellana Mineral Cosmetics Pressed Mineral Blush Duo in Obsession/Fulfillment

Ellana Mineral Cosmetics Radiant Cover It Up Mineral Powder Concealer 

Ellana Mineral Cosmetics Eyebrow/Eyeshadow Quad—Beloved, Intense, Wish, Hush

The Body Shop All-In-One Instablur Eye

Dermalogica Skin Perfect Primer

Too Faced Better Than Sex MascaraKoji Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner in Deep Black

Holika Holika Wonder Drawing Brow Mascara

Lorac Highly Pigmented Cream Lipstick in Duchess

Quite a handful for a simple look, eh? Haha! 

Here's a closeup of my eye.

I did not use the usual shimmery or metallic colors... just nude shades and a fierce eyeliner! ;)

The highlight of this look is probably how glowing my face looks whenever I use Ellana's concealer/foundation product. I have acne and dark pimple scars that I try to hide and this product gives that coverage, but still keeps my face looking natural! My shade before was Smile but my skin got lighter during the rainy season and I had to use a lighter shade, which is Radiant. 

The contour and highlighter also did the trick for a more radiant finish. Just look at that glow on my cheek!

Excuse me for that crazy eye right there. Haha!

But yeah, sometimes it's fun to go peachy simple, but I'm not giving up all the lovely, sparkly colors just yet! I like creating different makeup looks everyday and this simple one is just one of them. ;)

What look do you usually wear to work?

Cheers,

DAWN

EOTD: Deep Teal and Smokey Topaz

Hey dearies!

I'm so excited for Christmas. I love this holiday because I love getting stuff for my friends. I have this joy and excitement to find that "perfect" gift for friends. It may be a running joke or something sentimental but my goal is that it has to be something my friends would like. And also, if I have to be honest, I also like unwrapping gifts. :P

Another reason I love this season is I'm always in the mood to create different makeup looks. I like wearing bold lipsticks, sparkly eyeshadows, greens, golds, reds, and all! Even though I wear these on ordinary days, there's a different joy to it when it's during this season. 

Here's an EOTD I wore just a few days ago...

And below are the items used:

Lorac Mega PRO Palette

Snoe What's Up Brow! Water Resistant Eyebrow Gel Corrector

Essence Stay All Day Long Lasting Eyeshadow in Coppy Right

Urban Decay Perversion Mascara

Dior Backstage Eye Prime 

Sephora Waterproof Jumbo Liner 12HR Wear in Gold

Lorac Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil

Nature Republic Botanical Eyebrow Mascara

Koji Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner in Deep Black

More photos of the EOTD below:

I like the green and gold blending. It may seem dark but it looks sort of toned down when I have my eyes open.

The green is a nice pop of color and the gold brightens up the look.

So what do you think of this EOTD?

Cheers,

DAWN

Review : Koji Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner in Deep Black

Hey loves!

Don't you just love it when you accidentally discover an HG potential product? This happened to me when I first tried this product...

Koji Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner in Deep Black

This was a gift from a friend but this is also available in the Philippines for PhP 800.00.

I've been a fan of some eyeliners from different Japanese brands. Whenever friends ask me what eyeliners they should buy, I almost always say to check out Japanese brands first because the ones I've tried so far have the qualities I like in my eyeliners—very black and long-lasting.

So when my friend went to Japan for business, I asked her to buy me some eyeliners since I know they are sold cheaper there. She bought me one from four brands and one of them is from Dolly Wink. She told me she bought this (even though she isn't into makeup very much) because she kept getting requests to buy this from friends and they tell her that this product is really, REALLY GOOD! 

Unfortunately, I can't read the product description on the packaging. All I know about Dolly Wink is that it is a makeup brand that specializes on eye makeup. So I googled and here's a product description from Pinky Paradise:

Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner III Deep Black

Produced by Tsubasa Masuwaka. Big, beautiful, doll-like eyes are guaranteed with this Liquid eyeliner. Ink brush type. Rich, deep black to dramatically highlight the eyes.

Product Details

Brand / Dolly Wink

Country of Origin / Japan

Deep and rich black - just a single slick looks like a double application. Dramatically highlight beautiful lines and flicks.

Outstanding resistance to water

Clings to the skin from the moment of application. Quick-drying and resistant to rubbing or running from sweat, water and tears. The colour won‘t fade over time, meaning your liner will stay bold and beautiful all day long.

Slim brush head

A slim brush head with good resistance allows you to create delicate or bold lines as you please.

Remove easily

A washable film-type formulation that‘s resistant to sweat and water, but dissolves away in warm water.

Contains honey extract

Enriched with honey extract to moisturize and gently care for the skin.

The packaging is pretty. It's the kind of pink that I like (somewhat near to peach). The gold font and ornament design gives a princessy vibe, which I also like. ;) I like the size (like an actual pen) because it's easy to carry, especially when travelling. 

The pen's brush has a very fine tip and the bristles are smooth so it can create thin lines, which are great for the cat eye look (for the flick part). It's not too soft that it bends but it's just right to let it glide easily when being applied. I love how it feels and I think its applicator is the best quality among all the pen-type eyeliners I have used so far.

Here's a closeup of the pen.

And here are swatches.

See how thin you can make the lines? And each line is really deep black and I got these with just one stroke. You can make the lines even darker if you layer them. I do realize that when I use very shimmery eyeshadows that it kind of gathers them which makes the blackness of the liner less black and more shimmery. But when I use matte or shadows with little shimmer, then everything's okay, it's still beautifully black.

I don't know why but I've read reviews that it's hard to make clean lines because it goes within the lines of your skin. But as you can see in my swatches, I can create my lines cleanly. I haven't experience any runny situation when I use this. The consistency is just right for me. The tips I can give you to keep the finish deep black and not watery is to shake the product before use and if not in-use, store it with the tip facing downwards (similar with the idea of how you store a fountain pen). :)

And how strong is the lasting power of this product? Check out how it stayed on after I did some tests:

When rubbed by my hand

When rubbed by dry tissue
There's slight fading.

When rubbed with wet wipes

It was easily removed with wet wipes as you can see in the pic above. I can see the "washable film-type" quality. It can stay on my oily lids without being removed or smudged all day, but when I removed it with my makeup remover or a simple wet wipe, it gets removed without difficulty. Awesome, right? I dunno how that works but that's an awesome combination when it comes to eyeliners—long-lasting but easy to remove!

Check out how I apply the eyeliner on the photos below:

I can easily create that flick within seconds. Plus, I don't have to wait a long time for it to dry. I apply and after probably 5-10 seconds, I can open my eyes normally. This is definitely one of the easiest eyeliners to use and I'm an instant fan the first time I tried it!

To summarize my review:

What I LIKE:
- It really is deep black
- Can create thin lines with the very fine tip
- Easy to use and apply
- Lovely packaging
- Very long-lasting—can stay on my oily lids all day
- Can easily be removed with makeup remover/wet wipes
- Locally available
- Somewhat affordable
- Dries quickly after application


What I DON'T LIKE:
- Shimmers from very shimmery eyeshadows gather on the film-like quality of the product making it look less black

Would I recommend? Hells-to-the-yeah! I love this product! It stays on my oily lids even under the hot weather or even when I walked under the rain!

And that is my review of the Koji Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner in Deep Black! What do you think of this product? What other products from this brand do you like/want to try?


Cheers,
DAWN

August and September (2015) Haul + Gifts

Hey loves!

Just sharing the items I acquired during the months of August and September. This post is quite lengthy because I admit that I bought a little more than I should. September is my birth month so I got a little more extra money from my birthday bonus. :P I also posted gifts I've received from my birthday and from my sis who's in AU. :)

So I'll start with these purchases I made when I went to SM Manila to renew my passport...

These Parisian Comfort Shoes are awesome! They look cute when I wear them and they are super comfy! And they are quite affordable too at PhP 699.00!

Products to help me treat my acne problems.

Snoe Shoo Zit Don't Bother Me Spot On Spot Off - PhP 399.00

Snoe Shoo-Zit Spray Me from Behind - PhP 349.00

Daily Defense Keratin Treatment

I bought this because it's only Php 199.00 and you get two! :P

Theproducts in the next three photos were bought at 10% off BTW. :)

I've seen so many raves on these products from Shawill so I thought that these were worth a try...
Shawill Coloring Eyebrow - PhP 188.00
Shawill High Precision 24 Hour Eyeliner - PhP 99.00

It's been a while since I bought some things from Holika Holika. I have tried a few and loved most of them so I wanted to try more.
Holika Holika Wonder Drawing Brow Mascara - PhP 325.00
Holika Holika Cover and Hiding Stick Concealer - PhP 275.00

I saw the Bobbi's and L.A. Girl's stalls and wanted to try some of their products and bought these:

L.A. Girl Creme Lip Color in Forbidden Love - PhP 269.00

Bobbie Cosmetics Poof Concealer - PhP 100.00

and I bought the Essence Ticket to Paradise Cream Eyeshadow because it was on sale for only PhP 75.00!

I lost the receipt of these products. I will do reviews though. :P

Bought these stuff on sale!
Beauty Bar Corner False Lashes - PhP 82.50 (Reg. price is Php 275.00)
 CND Effects Copper Shimmer - PhP 50.00 (Reg. price is Php 475.00)

This Hario Cold Brew Coffee Maker!!!
Forgot how much it was but WOAHHHH! I love this thing. :D

And the next three items are the items my sister in Australia sent me. Most are preloved...

And these below are products my friend who got back from a 2-month vacation in Japan bought me...

And the products from Daiso are actually things that Liz bought me during one of their events...

And these are items that Tellie gave me, and some I bought from her blog sale, before she went to South Korea to study.

I also spoiled my sale with some art books.

Dong-A My Metal Ballpens - PhP 179.75

A Life of Picasso by John Richardson - PhP 695.00

Japanese Art Close-Up by John Reeve - PhP 974.00

My mom bought these shoes for me as a birthday gift. It's Comfort Plus from Payless.

More stuff from Daiso Japan! Wooot! I just love shopping there. :P

And these are stuff Liz got me for my birthday! YAYY! She actually mentioned this on her haul post a week ago.

And below are more gifts from friends. :)

I'll try to review the Tomato Soap. It looks interesting and I love using tomato soaps. :D

Whew!

That's quite a lot, huh? I'm certainly enjoying all of these great stuff! I feel so blessed with all the gifts that were given to me. (Thank you, guy! You know who you are.)

And that's it for now. Do let me know if you want me to review some of the items here. :)


Cheers,
DAWN