February-March (2018) Haul

Hey everyone! 

Just got back from my vacation at Japan a couple of days ago. I'm still on a high because that was a 9-day long trip and I was able to see so many beautiful sights and ate delicious food. I'll share with you some of the details on a future post along with the beauty items I bought. :)

For today, I want to at least post something on the blog. So here's a haul post about the new items I bought for the past two months (I know I keep saying I need to stop but I will give up now because I know myself and I'm pretty sure I'll keep on buying something for the next coming months. Haha!). So here they are...

First is this Althea Box. I took advantage of their clearance sale and I bought items with huge discounts! Yay! I'll post the original price but I was able to buy all items at half off.

Holika Holika Eye Metal Glitter in Stellar Dust and Rose Burst

Hello loves!

I love things that are shiny and sparkly so it's no question that I'll be drawn to getting these super sparkly eyeshadows from Holika Holika when I saw the graphic ads on the brand's Instagram page. And so, I bought two shades of the Eye Metal Glitter at their SM San Lazaro branch last December.

Holika Holika Eye Metal Glitter in Stellar Dust and Rose Burst

December (2017) Haul — Yay for Christmas Shopping!

Hey everyone!

The holidays might be over but I'm still enjoying some of the things that I got from the events that happened last month. One of the things that definitely made me extra giddy last Christmas is the huge sales from different shop! Haha! I'm glad that we had extra money for spending so I was able to get some stuff for me to use. Let me share what items I was able to get so you know what to  expect on my future blog product reviews...

Marks and Spencer Shea Butter Cream Bath - PhP 350.00

Marks and Spencer Floral Collection Silky Talcum Powder in Rose - PhP 295.00

The prices I posted are their regular prices but I got these at 20% off. They had a promo which lasted for only three days on all regular priced items. The sale happened from December 25-27, 2017.

Review : Holika Holika Cover and Hiding Stick Concealer

Hey guys!

If you have oily and acne-prone skin like me, then you're probably familiar with what a concealer is and how important it is to our makeup routine (that is if you also like your blemishes covered like me). Before, I always buy heavy coverage foundations, but now that my skin is getting better and have less blemishes, I settle for more lightweight foundations or BB creams. It doesn't matter as much if they are sheerer than the ones I've used before. I just get a trusted concealer to help cover the darker blemishes. That being said, I do try to find concealers that work best for me.

Although I've tried good ones, my curiosity to try out other concealers from the different brands out there. One of those that I bought out of sheer curiosity is the...

Holika Holika Cover and Hiding Stick Concealer

I bought it for PhP 275.00. But now the price is PhP 315.00.

The shade I have is 02 Natural Beige.

Since the labels aren't in english, I looked for their website for the product description. Unfortunately, there wasn't much there. So I looked at BeautyMNL's website and here's what it says:

CLAIM TO FAME: A creamy concealer that helps create a flawless base

FAST FACTS: Covers and conceals dark circles, blemishes, and other imperfections; easy-to-use twist up stick gives you just the right amount of product; perfect for blending over dark spots and redness; long-lasting formula masks troubled areas for hours

PERFECT FOR: Hiding scars and spots for an even-looking face

SPECIFICATIONS

WHAT YOU GET: (1) Cover & Hiding Stick Concealer
NET WEIGHT: 3.5g
INGREDIENTS: Phenyl Trimethicone, Titanium Dioxid, Polyethylene, Caprylic/Capric/myristic/Stearic Triglyceride, Ceresin, Triethylhexanoin, Bismuth, Oxychloride, CI 77492 (Yellow Oxide of Iron), Boron Nitride, Squalane, Silica, Nylon-12, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Hydrogenated, Rapeseed Oil, CI 77491 (Red Oxide of Iron), Jojoba Oil, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, CI 77499 (Black Oxide of Iron), Butylparaben, Fragrance, BHT, Pearl Powder, Coral Powder, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Peel Oil, Allantoin

What made me buy this was it's shape and packaging. It's a twist-up pencil type so I don't have to dip my fingers or a brush when I use this. I do have to make sure my face is clean when I use it or else I still have to use a brush. Haha! Anyway, the point is it's easier and faster to use

Dispensing is easy because you get to just twist it up. And for it's price, you get a pretty good amount of the product.

Another reason why I bought it is that when I swatched it, I was impressed by how creamy it was but also provided good coverage.

The next few photos are of areas of my face using the product:

Under eyes

Bare 

I apply the product in a triangle shape to also help highlight the center of my face. Although I rarely do this because I usually just apply on the eye bag and dark circle area. :P

When blended

My eyes look brighter and I looked like I slept a full eight hours. Haha! It also goes well with my warm skin tone.

It can also help get rid of the redness from pimples as see on the before and after photos above.

Blending the product was easy because it was very creamy. It's also lightweight so it doesn't feel like you're applying too much product on your face.

It can be long-lasting but my oily face makes the product cake at times. I notice that the areas where I apply this cakes but I get to prevent it if I blot off the oil as soon as I get shiny.

What I LIKE:

- Good medium-heavy coverage
- Affordable
- Twist-up version is easy to use
- Creamy texture is easy to blend
- Lightweight
- long-lasting
- Warm, yellowish tone blends well on my skin
- Didn't experience irritations nor breakouts

What I DO NOT LIKE:

- It cakes
- It doesn't cover darker acne scars and even though it is buildable, it get's cakey if I pile it up

Would I recommend it? Yes, but only to those with clearer skin than I do. As much as I appreciate the coverage and how light it feels, the caking part bothers me a lot. It's still pretty good especially considering how affordable it is!

And that is my review of the Holika Holika Cover and Hiding Stick Concealer!


Cheers,
DAWN

NOTD: Vanilla Fruitcake

Hey everyone!

Just sharing a quick NOTD!

So I was feeling like going for a colorful but glittery look to uplift my stressful days because of so many papers I have to write so I took some of my glittery nail polishes and created the NOTD seen above.

I used the following polishes:

Holika Holika Magic Pop Nail Natural in 04
Tony Moly's Lacquer Glitter GI08 Jingle Bell
Diou Vernis in No. 11 (I think this is a rip off of the Dior Vernis. Haha! I can't remember how I got it)

So I used the Holika Holika polish as base then topped it with the glittery polishes.

Because of the "Christmasy" finish of the polish from Tony Moly, it accidentally looked like a fruit cake... but a lighter version!

It does look festive, but I guess it does not really suit my personality much. Haha! 

And that's my NOTD! :P

Cheers,
DAWN

Review : Holika Holika Wonder Drawing 1 Sec. Finish Browcara

Hey everyone!

The sun is starting to shine again! Haha! I don't know if I'll be happy since I actually like it when it's raining. Staying at home in a rainy day with a hot cup of tea and a bowl of spicy ramen while watching a marathon of my current favorite series is THE LIFE! Hahaha! 

OR

I could just blog a product review... Like what I'll be sharing with you now! :P

Holika Holika Wonder Drawing 1 Sec. Finish Browcara

The shade I bought is 04 Dark Brown. One tube is PhP 325.00.

Product info from the Holika Holika (CA) website:

• Perfect match the eyebrow color with hair color
• Close adhering.  Quick dry formula that does not clump
• Two-way brush for an intricate expression
• 
  

01 Natural Brown - Recommend Hair: Natural/Ash Brown

02 Light Brown - Recommend Hair: Orange/Gold Brown

03 Red Brown - Recommend Hair: Red Wine/Cherry Brown

04 Dark Brown - Recommend Hair: Chocolate/Deep Brown

Volume: 4.5g

How to Use:  Apply a proper amount to your eyebrow, brushing softly in the opposite direction of eyebrow texture. After that, brush again in normal direction of eyebrow texture

Ingredients:  

01 Natural Brown:Water, Methyl Trimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Talc, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77492), Nylon-12, Acrylates/Stearyl Acrylate/Dimethicone Methacrylate Copolymer, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Iron Oxides (CI 77499), Butylene Glycol, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Iron Oxides (CI 77491), Disteardimonium Hectorite, Magnesium Sulfate, Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, 1,2-Hexanediol, Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium EDTA, Panthenol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate

02 Light Brown:Water, Methyl Trimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Talc, Iron Oxides (CI 77492), Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Nylon-12, Acrylates/Stearyl Acrylate/Dimethicone Methacrylate Copolymer, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Butylene Glycol, Iron Oxides (CI 77491), Iron Oxides (CI 77499), Disteardimonium Hectorite, Magnesium Sulfate, Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, 1,2-Hexanediol, Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium EDTA, Panthenol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate

03 Red Brown:Water, Methyl Trimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Talc, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491), Nylon-12, Acrylates/Stearyl Acrylate/Dimethicone Methacrylate Copolymer, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Iron Oxides (CI 77499), Butylene Glycol, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Magnesium Sulfate, Iron Oxides (CI 77492), Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, 1,2-Hexanediol, Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium EDTA, Panthenol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate

​04 Dark Brown:Water, Methyl Trimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Talc, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Iron Oxides (CI 77492), Iron Oxides (CI 77499), Nylon-12, Acrylates/Stearyl Acrylate/Dimethicone Methacrylate Copolymer, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Butylene Glycol, Iron Oxides (CI 77491), Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Magnesium Sulfate, Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, 1,2-Hexanediol, Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium EDTA, Panthenol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate

My hair is colored cherry brown (although the around 5-6 inches from the roots are already black and sort of look like an ombre style). It's a dark brown warm shade but pairing it with my naturally dark brows (BLACK!) doesn't look that nice. That is why I always buy a browcara whenever I have my hair colored. I'm happy that I still have this browcara in my stash when my hair grew out and the color looks subtler since my natural hair color is noticeable now that I didn't retouch the color and it's 1/3 of my current hair.

I remembered the moments before I bought this product, I was searching for a browcara that would make my dark brows look subtler to emphasize my eyes more. I wanted something that's still close to my natural hair color (since I don't really color my hair light, I just go for reddish brown or dark brown) but is pigmented enough to cover the whole thickness of brow strand. When I saw this, I like that it's matte and I also like the Dark Brown shade. I also like the thought that its quite affordable!

I also like the small wand and how there's a long side and a short side. The longer ones can reach the longer, thicker strands of brow hair while the shorter one can be used on the arch area up to the outer tip of the brows.

Here is the swatch. As you can see, the formula is matte—something I prefer since there are quite a number of browcaras who have metallic or shimmery finish. The consistency is slightly creamy and scent is barely there.


Below are pictures to show you how the product performs with my eyebrow:

My bare brows

As you can see, my brow hair is quite thick and and a bit difficult to groom since most of them point downwards. A brow mascara is usually necessary to keep the strands in place.

This is what my brow looks like with the browcara alone. The product was able to coat the entire brows evenly which I like because I have experienced from a different product that there is difficulty coating the really dark ones located at the inner area of the brow. I also didn't get any clumping so the finish is actually close to looking like my brows are naturally brown in color. Haha!

Just to make a clean arch, I usually pair the browcara with a good brow pencil. In the photo above, I usually line my brows first with a pencil then coat the brow hair with the browcara to keep the strands in place and change the color of the hair.

The staying power is quite good as well. I don't normally scratch or touch my face so the usual cause when my brows get ruined is sweat or too oily skin. This product can tolerate those problems because whenever I go to work, I do sweat and my face do get oily a lot and it can still last the whole day! 

To summarize:

What I LIKE:

- Matte finish

- Coats the brow hair evenly

- No clumping

- Applicator is easy to work with

- Affordable

- Locally available

- Long-lasting

- Available in four shades

What I DON'T LIKE:

- I can't think of anything!

Would I recommend it? YES! Would I repurchase? YES!

I think the last two questions and its answers says how satisfied I am with this product. It's very effective with coating the dark strands of my brows and it's very affordable too. So if you're thinking of trying out a browcara, do consider this one. ;)

And that's my review! Hope this helps. 

Cheers,
DAWN

NOTD : Gold Sequins

Hello dearies!

Check out my simple NOTD with a touch of glitter glam!

It looks better when you see it up close while moving. You get to see each glitter shine!

The star of the NOTD is actually a gift from one of my closest blogger friends, Helen of Lucky Citrine. It has been more than a year since we saw each other so we planned to have dinner along with Liz so we could catch up. She brought along two products for me as gifts and I absolutely love them! One is the The Body Shop Colour Crush Nail Colour in Sequins Gold, which I am wearing in this NOTD, and the Nature Republic Nail Remover.

For the base of this NOTD, I used the Holika Holika Magic Pop Nail Dazzling in Glam Muse.

I only used two coats, but if I want a more solid gold finish, I have to add one or two coats more.

I thought of using a gold base so that it will compliment the gold glitters but I think that The Body Shop Colour Crush Nail Colour in Sequins Gold would look amazing in dark nail polish like black or deep purple.

So what do you guys think?

Cheers,
DAWN

EOTD: My Current Go-To Eye Makeup

Hello loves!

This is not really my "eye of the day" since I wore this last Thursday. I just want to share this eye makeup look that I usually wear nowadays, especially when I'm in a hurry...

I wear this pinkish nude eye makeup partnered with a pinkish nude lippie. It only takes a few minutes to do and I think it would look great on many skin tones. 

Here are the products I used:

Etude House Play 101 Pencils in #33

The Face Shop Eyebrow Pencil in Grey Brown

 Holika Holika Jewel-light Waterproof Eyeliner in Brown Ember

Lancome Artliner Precision Felt Tip Liquid Liner

NARS Audacious Mascara

Dior Backstage Eye Prime

Sephora Book of Wishes Eyeshadow in Wish No. 2 (Be a Role Model)

The look is a mixture of matte and shimmery colors. Since the colors are soft and almost neutral, I paired it with an edgy cat liner wing.

Just blend the shadows well so there's the contrast between the soft colors and the sharp liner.

However, I would prefer a darker eyeliner. Unfortunately, my kuripot (stingy) self do not want to use a new eyeliner until the current one I have dries up or reaches its expiration date. Haha! :P

And that's my current GO-TO eye makeup! Any thoughts?

Cheers,
DAWN

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