Nichido Final Powder in Creamy Glow (I'm a New Fan!)

Hello loves!

I'm a fan of loose powders. I like a bit of pigment because I do the baking technique to achieve a "glow" whenever I put on my makeup. One of the powders I use for baking is the Ben Nye Banana Powder. I've used bottles of that powder and although I'm satisfied with the product's performance, I'm willing to try ones from different brands.

I've been seeing really good reviews of this product from Nichido, but I keep forgetting to buy one whenever I go to a mall until a couple of months ago...

Nichido Final Powder in Creamy Glow

Heroine Make Mineral BB Loose Powder

Hey loves!

It was around last year that I became a fan of mineral makeup. I used to avoid them because the ones that I have used before were not able to conceal my skin problems such as pimples and acne scars. Plus, I think that they make my skin oilier than usual.

Anyway, since a brand made me change all those negative thoughts regarding mineral makeup, I became open to try out other mineral products from other brands. And that is why I bought this particular one...

Heroine Make Mineral BB Loose Powder

Bought this for Php 695.00.

I bought the shade 02 Natural. It is also available in 01 Light.

I bought this because I use loose powder on top of my foundation or BB Cream to prolong my makeup as well as for oil control. While I was browsing at Heroine Make's counter during their launch last year, I saw this product and tried the tester. The powder was silky soft and I love that it has a warm tone. I got excited and I was sure that I will buy myself one when I need a new loose powder.

And after some months, I finally bought one! Yay!

If you see the labels at the back of the packaging which I posted above, you'll see that it promises to do the things I want my loose powder to do which is to prolong my makeup and control shine. But this powder adds more good stuff because it has SPF25 and has coverage! Yay!

It's housed in this cute, pink jar and includes a soft puff applicator.

I don't use the puff much because I prefer using my powder brushes for application. It's still very soft though and I still keep it as a stopper or to block the holes so that the jar won't get messy when I don't use it.

I've mentioned how soft and silky smooth this powder is when I first swatched it last year... and it still is! Check out the swatch below:

Love the color and the coverage. It's pretty close to my face's skin color.

And when blended, you can see that it does have coverage and yet it feels very light! I like that it doesn't sink in the lines of my skin and it doesn't appear cakey. And I like that it makes my skin matte but not flat... it still has a very light dewy/glowing finish.

Here's a pic of me with BB Cream and this Mineral BB Loose Powder on top. My BB cream was slightly lighter than my skin but this powder evened it out to match my skin tone. I love that it looks natural and fresh and somehow concealed some of my enlarged pores. My makeup can last the whole day and the oil control this gives is pretty decent, I just blot after 4-5 hours. It's really a good finishing powder!

Overall, this is a good product! I find the price pretty reasonable since it works nicely. I never encountered any breakouts nor irritations when I use this so I guess I have no bad experience with this one. I recommend you try it out!

What are your thoughts about the Heroine Make Mineral BB Loose Powder yet? What about their other products?

Cheers!

DAWN

Palgantong Theatrical Powder

Hi loves!

My friend went to Korea last November and I asked her if she can buy me some products and one of my requests was the... 

Palgantong Theatrical Powder

She was able to get this for only ₩7,000 (that's around Php 280.00 here) somewhere in Ewha Womans University. It's original price was ₩14,000! (Good job, Jho! *insert Facebook like symbol here*)

I requested for this because I've read great reviews about this powder and I would like to try it for myself. They claim that this product is being used by many celebrities from Korea, and I just think that their skin looks so flawless. I've read that this is very soft and smooth and it gives a natural smooth finish on the skin. Exciting right? Here's a product description from sasa.com:

description

PALGANTONG Theatrical Powder from Korea is make up of Ceramin ingredient from UK. The size of particles is just half as the other particles. It reflects more light from your skin to even the tone with natural appearance. Thin and comfortable, brighten your skin just like Movie Star. So, it is also called “Star Powder” in Japan and Korea.

Over these 10 years, this powder is commonly used in Korean Movies, TV programme and drama. Over 5,000,000 powder were sold in Japan, as No.1 loose powder in Japan!

how to use it 

Tap the bottom of bottle 3 times, twist open the lid and take out the brush. 

Tap the brush to remove excessive product. 

Gently brush on the forehead, cheeks and chin. 

Apply light layer of foundation by making continuous circular motions on clean and dry face from the T-zone out until the desired coverage is achieved. 

Tips: 

Take light and small portion each time and build up to the coverage you desire.

For oily skin, absorb excessive oil with facial absorbent paper and re-apply the mineral foundation to get the same natural effect.

I've seen some pics of the previous packaging of this product and the present packaging is definitely an improvement. This design is classier with the metallic red lid and the clear acrylic container. I like that there is a mirror and that the product is separated from the applicator. 

The surface that separates the powder has holes so you can control the amount of product you will get and it has a sticker so that no powder is spilled. Some people do not completely peal off the sticker to avoid spills and also reduce the amount of product taken.

The applicator is a white puff that is actually pretty soft but I don't use it because I prefer using my powder brushes when I apply this.

The product is a bit pinkish. This shade is called Original Beige. I've seen another shade which is Beige Ochre, a darker and warmer shade.

 The powder is very light and fine and when you spread it, you can feel how soft and smooth it is.

Thickly applied powder lightly smudged on my skin

It may seem like the powder is very light but it's actually translucent. Once you spread the powder and blend it over your foundation, the finish is still like your skin tone but you look more radiant and glowing. Here's proof of what I am talking about!

I apply the product just like how I apply the Ben Nye Banana Powder (click here for the post).

Left: With liquid foundation mixed with BB Cream on
Right: With the powder on and concentrated it on areas of the face where light usually touches

I leave the powder on for 5 minutes or more. I usually do my eyebrows and apply the rest of my eye makeup while I wait. I like this technique since while I apply powder eyeshadows, I don't worry about the fall out of the shadow because it will just land on the large amount of finishing powder I applied under my eyes. I just sweep the powder off after a few minutes and no eyeshadow smudges from the fall out!

When my eye makeup is done, I sweep off the powder and blend it around my face and this is what happens.

My face looks brighter. It's like a subtle highlighter and finishing powder in one! If you think the powder is too much, just spray some face mist and it will set faster and it will just look like your natural skin! Check out my photos with the rest of my makeup on...

I find that my skin looks really good on photos when I wear this. It's like the pores are gone and your skin is healthier and brighter. And this won't cause any white cast on flash photography if you're wondering.

I find finishing powders great for setting and prolonging makeup and this product does those very well and I like that this effectively controls oil. It takes me a good 4 hours before my face gets shiny. Yay!

And those were my thoughts on the Palgantong Theatrical Powder in Ordinary Beige. :D Do you use finishing powders too? Which one do you use? :)


Cheers,
DAWN

Look Flawless with Ellana!

Hello loves!

Ever since I first tried Ellana Mineral Cosmetics, I became an instant fan. 

I've actually avoided mineral makeup until I attended one of Ellana's blogger events which gave me the opportunity to take home some of their products. I've already shared the reasons why I was hesitant to use mineral makeup and how Ellana changed it in my previous post, so for today's entry, I'll share with you how I achieve a flawless look using 3 Ellana Mineral Cosmetics products—Let's Make It Last Makeup Primer, Smile Cover It Up Mineral Powder Concealer, and Sheer Velvet Mineral Finishing Powder.

I've already made a review on the Let's Make It Last Makeup Primer so I will be skipping that one for this post. You can read the full review here.

And let's go to the product that saved mineral makeup for me,

Ellana Mineral Cosmetics Smile Cover It Up Mineral Powder Concealer

This is their medium shade with warm tones and it's only for Php 460.00.

Why saved? Because it gave me the coverage I wanted that I didn't get from the mineral makeup products I tried from other brands!

Smile is exactly my shade! I'm happy that Ellana's products have warm tones so it blends well with most Filipina skin. Their Mineral Foundation and Concealer products are available in other shades as well:

Radiant—Light with warm tones

Cheer—Light with cool tones

Revive—Medium with cool tones

Before I go on with the product details, let's admire the very fab packaging first. The beautiful illustrations were made by Ms. Soleil Ignacio. 

Here are product descriptions from the website:

WHAT IT IS

Complete coverage without the mask-like finish - that is the promise of our new Concealer Foundation. This dual-purpose product can be used to spot-conceal and to cover up under eye circles. It can also be applied, in sheer layers, as a foundation for maximum coverage.

HOW TO USE

As a concealer: Use your fingers or a concealer brush to pick up the product. Blend onto your eye bags and blemishes in quick feathery strokes. 

As a foundation: Pick up a small amount with your kabuki or powder brush. Apply only a sheer layer to color correct and/or cover problem areas.

TIPS AND TRICKS

This is a foundation for oily and extremely troubled skin. As a

concealer, it can work with all skin types. It comes in five color correcting

shades to effectively keep imperfections under wraps.

Ingredients:

Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Mica, Methicone, Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide, Kaolin, Magnesium, Stearate, Allantoin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Yellow CI 77492, Red CI 77491, Black CI 77499, Green CI 77288, Blue 77007

Swatches on my hand

This product has heavy coverage, great for those who suffer from acne and dark spots. If you have clearer skin, I suggest you stick to their mineral foundations which also has good coverage and carries more shades.

The product is fine and soft and it feels very light on skin. Application is very easy. I use a flat top synthetic makeup brush or a flat kabuki brush for application.

The next product is the finishing powder:

Ellana Mineral Cosmetics Sheer Velvet Mineral Finishing Powder 

This is also worth Php 460.00.

Details about the product from the website:

WHAT IT IS

Look poreless, matte, and ultra-smooth up close with our best-selling Sheer

Velvet HD Powder. This translucent powder can set your makeup and help ward

off oil during the day! The pure white shade matches all skin tones.

HOW TO USE

After your foundation, use only a small amount of Sheer Velvet

on the center of your face. Simply retouch as needed!

TIPS AND TRICKS

This powder is recommended for oily and troubled skin. It can

also diminish the appearance of pores. It’s great to use with all

skin tones due to the colorless coverage.

INGREDIENT LIST

silicon dioxide, nylon-12, mica, Polymethylsilsesquioxane

Who doesn't want poreless skin??? It has been a dream for me especially since I have acne-prone, oily skin. As mentioned in the description, this product is recommended for my skin tone! Yay! 

Swatches on my hand

This powder is silky soft! It's also very fine that it gets in and fills those pores and lines thus giving you that smooth and silky finish. It sounds too good to be true but I'm not kidding! I'm impressed! It mattifies the face making it a great product to lessen shine (whether it's from your natural oils or if you use foundations or BB's that give dewy finish).

With the combination of this and the Let's Make It Last Makeup Primer, you would really get that lovely poreless finish! Don't believe me? Then check out the next photos below!

Here are shots of my bare face...

My skin is slowly clearing up (thank goodness... it may not look like it but it was worse before) but I'm still suffering with acne scars, especially on the jaw line. I also have enlarged pores on the cheeks and forehead.

After I cleansed and moisturized my skin, I apply the  Let's Make It Last Makeup Primer first. It's transparent so it doesn't make much difference so I didn't take any shots of my face anymore.

And then I apply the  Smile Cover It Up Mineral Powder Concealer...

I apply a very small amount on areas that are not so problematic like the apples of my cheeks and forehead. I concentrated more on the jaw area where many acne scars need concealing.

See how great it works on hiding those dark scars? Amazing! And I didn't have to use so much product.

And then I top it off with the Sheer Velvet Mineral Finishing Powder...

All smoothened now! Skin looks matte and feels so soft and pores are smaller!

I actually put the Sheer Velvet after the foundation but it can also be used as primer before you put on your mineral foundation to smoothen your canvas aka your face. :P

And then I just add some color on my face...

I LOVE the finish! It looks natural and my skin looks like it's glowing! The products feel so light on my skin that I don't even feel like I'm wearing makeup! Besides these, Ellana Mineral Cosmetics are cruelty-free, paraben-free, and fragrance-free! 

As for the staying power, well, it doesn't really control oil so I give around 2-3 hours before my face starts getting shiny. I have to blot and retouch using the Sheer Velvet powder. But even if I get very oily, the makeup doesn't fade. I only reapply foundation (I use the pressed powder form of their mineral foundation in Hazelnut) once for the whole day when I'm at the office. And does my makeup cake? No, it does not. But I'm not completely sure if the concealer/foundation will if it is applied on top of a non-mineral liquid foundation because I only use this with other Ellana products.

Overall, I love these products. I strongly recommend them! Like I said, I am now a fan!

For more info about this primer and other products from Ellana, check out their:

Website
Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Ellana is available online and at the following branches:

Glorietta 3

The Ramp, 2nd Floor Glorietta 3, Makati City

Shangri-la Plaza

The Ramp, 2nd Floor Shangri-la Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City

Trinoma Mall

The Ramp, 1st Floor Trinoma Mall, Quezon City

Pasong Tamo

Unit 203 La Fuerza Plaza 2, Chino Roces Ave. Corner Sabio St., Makati City

And btw, If you click this link (or the Ellana banner at the side bar), you get a discount when you buy online and I get a small amount of money because I joined their affiliate program. But even though I benefit from this, rest assured that all I stated in my posts are honest reviews. :)

So that's how I achieve a flawless face with Ellana! Hope this post helped you. :D

Cheers,

 DAWN