Featured Nail Art + SNSD Taeyeon's Mr. Taxi Look

I know I have't updated in a while. Anyway, this will just be a quick post. Here's the nail art I'm currently sporting. It's green and glittery.

I'm not sure if you guys know who Taeyeon is but she's my favorite member in K-Pop group SNSD (So Nyuh Shi Dae)/ Girls' Generation. I especially like her make-up in their latest music video called Mr. Taxi. I like it so much that I want to do an inspired look based on this.

It's simple but has a spark (of glitters). Haha! I guess I love glitters too much, don't you think? Haha! Anyway, that's all for now! Take care! :)

Current Skin Care Routine: Acne Control

Okay, so I'm going to talk about my skin care routine for acne control. I used to only have one routine. I stick to it (like glue) until it fails me and I try other stuff or go back to previously tried routines. Basically, I have tried a lot of stuff for acne control over the years. Sometimes, I'd hit jackpot and 'discover' an effective regimen but the thing is, if I stick to it for a long time, I'd develop tolerance and it would probably not work as good as before.

Thus, I have decided to have two different skin care routines as to avoid this 'tolerance' I'm talking about. For now, I'll be talking about my routine when I get noticeable breakouts (red, big and swollen). For my other routine (when I don't have much zits to worry about), I'll probably talk about it in my future posts.

Here's a list of the things I need/use at this moment:

1. Ice
2. Tomato (Yes, I am talking about the fruit.)
3. Kojie-san Soap/ Defensil Soap
4. Ponds Clear Solutions Facial Wash
5. Ponds Acne Expert Toner
6. AHA + Antioxidant
7. Ponds Flawless White Day and Night Cream
8. Katialis

Okay, so I will be explaining the items above one by one.

1. Ice

- I get an ice pack/ wrap an ice cube with a towel and lightly dab the ice pack over the red swollen area. I do this after cleaning my face. This is good to lessen the redness and swelling. Thanks to the coldness, vasoconstriction occurs. I use this once or twice a day. Usually, I do this for two consecutive days. Once the swelling has tamed a bit, I stop doing it. Oh, and be careful not to burn yourself. Just dab it on for a few seconds, release for a few seconds and repeat.

2. Tomato

- I basically get a tomato from the fridge. I like it a bit cold because vasoconstriction helps with the redness and swelling. I slice like 2mm of the tomato and just gently rub it (juice) all over my face, leave it for like 10-15 minutes and it works as a mask. I use this maybe once or twice (max) a week.

3. Kojie-san Soap/ Defensil Soap

- This is the soap I'm using for my face and body during bath or night showers. I just recently found out Kojie-san is also responsible for Defensil. :D

4. Ponds Clear Solutions Facial Wash

- This is the wash I use when I wake up and before going to sleep. Using lukewarm water is nice to open the pores for through cleaning. I don't get to use lukewarm water all the time though. I usually just use tap water.

5. Ponds Acne Expert Toner

- It has salicylic acid and tea tree oil that helps with pimple control. If I'm not mistaken, since the toner is of room temperature, it will help close back the pores (from washing with lukewarm water). I use this after taking a bath and before going to sleep, after cleansing.

6. AHA + Antioxidant
- Once the toner has dried, I apply my AHA + Antioxidant lotion that I got from my dermatologist. I buy it from her but I think there are commercially available products with AHA. Google is your friend so you can most probably just search for products similar to this. Out of all the products I get from her, this is the only one that was not scratched from my skin care routine. This helps with pimple control as well as helping me remove dead skin cells. This results to younger looking skin. Hurrah! I only use it once, after toner (usually during the day).

7. Ponds Flawless White Day and Night Cream

- For the day cream, I wait a bit until the AHA + Antioxidant has been fully absorbed by my skin. Since it's in lotion form, it takes a while so I usually put on body lotion at this time to conserve time. Anyway, this would act as my moisturizer and sunscreen. It also has whitening properties so I believe this helps with erradicating some pimple marks.
- For the night cream, I use it after toner and apply it over my face. And yes, you guess it right. I use it at night, before going to sleep. This acts as my moisturizer and again has whitening properties to help with my pimples marks.

8. Katialis

- This is a very cheap product we commonly know as something that helps with insect bites and stuff like itch or something. I use it on areas with pimples. It has salicylic acid and antibacterial properties so it works really well in drying up pimples fast. I lightly dab it on the affected area after the moisturizer. I usually use this at night because this product has an awful (tolerable) smell.

That's it! This skin care routine works well for me but I cannot gurantee it would work as well for you.

Watch out for more acne control routines I've tried. I will be talking about it one by one in the future so you may have options to choose from, if you wish to do the same for yourself.

For my other skin care routine, click here.

**All photos in this post were taken over the internet. Credits to uploaders. Thanks!

Easy Bright Nail Art: How To

I know I've posted a picture of my nails a few days ago and I don't know if I mentioned this but I actually filmed it in the hope that I can edit it as a tutorial. I finally got the time to edit earlier today and here it is (click on the photo for the video link):

I hope you guys found that helpful. It's easy, bright and looks fun. It's perfect for this season! :)

Close Up White Now Toothpaste: Review

"Closeup White Now is the result of Closeup’s research and advances in color science technology, which have been clinically proven and published in the Journal of Dentistry.

The technology behind Closeup White Now is called “Blue Foam” that creates an instant optical effect on teeth that will result into visibly whiter and brighter teeth after just one brushing." - closeupwhitenow.com

I say:
My family has been using this toothpaste for months now and frankly speaking, it wasn't a big deal for me. I have seen a lot of toothpastes that promises to whiten your teeth but I never got the results I wanted. I had braces as a kid and I guess that contributed to some stains or whatsoever that's left on my teeth.

Recently though, my mom pointed out how my sister's teeth has whitened and she wanted to see if it had the same effect on me. Luckily, she told me mine has whitened too! I didn't even notice! Haha! I guess I'm just that kind of person. I'm not too keen on details that I'm not on the look-out. Anyway, I stood up in front of the mirror to check and indeed, it has gotten whiter! I am so impressed with this toothpaste, seriously!

I also want to point out that Close Up White Now has a minty taste, which I like. You see, I am not a fan of fruity toothpaste smell/taste. I don't feel as clean as when I'm using toothpastes in mint.

Overall, this product is super WORTH IT. I encourage all of you to try it!

Pros:
- Really whitens teeth
- Minty, instead of fruity
- Nice blue tube packaging
- Not expensive

Cons:
- None! :)

Useful Links:
Web

Artmatic Moisturizing Lipstick (Nutmeg): Review

Hello everyone! I'm not sure if you've read about my first haul post that I called first beauty spree. Anyway, this lipstick was one of the items I got and I'm gonna be reviewing it now.

I say:
So I got this lipstick thinking that the shade would be a mix of coral and pink even though the shade was in nutmeg. The picture showed over at ebay gave me that feeling so yeah, I bought it. When it came I was shocked at how dark the color was. Anyway, I first swatched it on my hand just to see if it was really that dark. I was thinking of using this for everyday use and I was worried at how dark the color was. Thankfully, it was not. It was sheer. And I like sheer lipsticks for everyday! :)

 I just saw this picture over online. I forgot to take a picture of the lipstick I had so credits to the onewho uploaded this and thanks! :)

Anyway, I swatched it and I noticed that the color had coral undertone which is great because I kind of wanted something corally. Anyway, I used it without applying lip balm at first just to see how 'moisturizing' this lipstick was. It was so-so. Nothing notable. It did not dry my lips but it also doesn't give the same feeling with my Nichido Sheer Lipstick with Shea Butter. Anyway, here's how it looks like on the lips.

 Applied lipbalm before applying it

This one was topped off with TheFaceShop Fruit Jelly Tube in PP401. I actually like their combination. This photo does not do it justice. Personally, I think the lighting is bad.

Anyway, let me talk about what I don't like about the product. I don't like the packaging at all. The stick doesn't go all the way down so I have to go in 'slow mo' whenever I try to put the cap on in the fear of chipping the tip. Aside from that, nothing really. But let me be clear... I'm not really into the color but I guess that's just something you have to risk if you're going to buy online. Sometimes, because of different lightings, monitor settings, camera used, etc etc. The actual color may vary from the photo they were showing.

Anyway, because I was not a fan of the color, I played around with it and I realized that you can actually turn it int a nice nude/pale coral color. I'm sure you're familiar with how to create the nude pink lips and that's basically what I did except I used this color (Nutmeg). If you're not familiar with it, just comment below. I'll try to explain it.

Overall, the lipstick was okay but not something I would like to buy again.

Pros:

- cheap

- color is not that dark (sheer)

- does not dry lips

Cons:

- stick doesn't go all the way in (worry of chipping the tip when putting the cap back)

I bought it over at e-bay:

jnlink777

(I bought this product with my own money and I am not getting paid for this review. Note that these are just my opinions and I do not guarantee that what I say would hold true in everyone's case.)

Summer Nail Art

I was just playing around with my nails and  here's what I did:

 with flash

without flash

I was actually able to film a tutorial on this but I'm not sure if it's worth posting. Anyway, just sharing. Personally, I like it. It screams summer. All the colors are from Orly's Play Collection: 'Total Knockout', 'Fore!' and 'Bump, Set, Spike'. Color codes are 584, 583 and 582. What do you think? :)

First Beauty Spree Post

I got the word beauty spree from Sara Bella. Yes, I know. It's not a new phrase. Most people use the word haul but I came across her blog and liked "beauty spree" so I used it instead. Anyway, this is my first beauty spree post. I got a few stuff recently. Some from Watsons and some from ebay.com.ph. I've bought a number of times online but not from ebay, mostly in multiply. Anyway, I'll first show you the stuff I got from Watsons not so long ago.

I got some stuff from iWhite. I got a Skin Whitening Vita Moisturizing Facial Wash and a Whitening Pack. All their products have whitening stuff hence the name. And I don't know if I shared this before but I love K-Pop and I go gaga with Korean stuff. iWhiteis a brand from Korea. I tried their nose pack before but it didn't work for me (like other strips I've tried) so I just settled for these two. I also got Maxipeel's Cream Concealer in Fair. Yay for sachets! I don't have to buy a lot just to try it! :)

 

So here are some stuff I've bought over at ebay (jnlink777). She has good deals, very fast transaction/shipping and no she didn't pay me to tell you these things. She wrapped everything carefully as you can see. This one arrived yesterday, one day after I sent my payment.

The amazing thing is that while opening it, there's this scent comparable to Victoria's Secret scents (not sure which). I'm also not sure why there was a scent in the first place and where it was coming from. All I can say is it's nice to open a package that smells good.

Anyway, I got a Maybelline Brush Blush in #69-Pink Whisper, Artmatic Moisturizing Lipstick in Nutmeg and NYC Perfect Reflect Foundation Kit in 631A Cool shade.

Thoughts on these products next time. Toodles! :)

Facial Exercise: Getting Rid of Eye Bags

I was looking through different magazines and I saw this facial exercise good for eye bags. I was going to take pictures on how to do it but I found an existing video on youtube which is very similar to the instructions I've read. I've been doing this for a couple of days now. I haven't really seen gross improvement but I guess there's nothing wrong in trying it out.

Enjoy! :)

Video by perfecttimperfection

Summer/ Spring Look: Ray Magazine April 2011

While it's summer over here, other countries are having their spring season. Philippines is a tropical country. Thus, we do not experience 4 seasons. Good thing that whenever it's summer here, winter's over in other countries.

I have here some pictures I've cropped from a Japanese Magazine called RAY (April 2011). Just some spring/summer themed looks for all of you:

Disclaimer: Scans are not mine. Just got it over the web. I just picked out some looks I thought were really nice.

Cream Blush: DIY

I was able to make cream blush out of:

1. Powder (Babyflo)
2. Eyeshadow (light and bright pink)
3. Liquid Make-up (Careline)
4. Sunblock lotion

Here's a little back story on how I got this idea. This is definitely not an original idea and I'm not claiming it to be. I was just inspired to do this after watching a couple of videos. I was going through youtube and I saw this one girl sharing how she made a powder blush with baby powder, pressed powder and eye shadow. I also saw another girl who made cream blush out of moisturizer, sunscreen, eye shadow and lipstick.

Now, using your eyeshadow/lipstick as blush has always been a normal thing. We do it all the time. I'm not saying everybody does it but I do know a few people who does it. This is not an innovation. It has always been a "trick" we've always been doing. You can still do that, of course, I just want to make a separate product to be placed on my cheeks. Also, I had nothing to do last Wednesday and so I just kind of 'experimented' and it kinda worked for me.

The DIY powder blush made by baicarrot was actually okay for me. I believe it would work and that you'd only need a few of those pigments and you'd have a blush you can use for weeks. I didn't do it because the container I had was my old blusher that got broken (picture below). Powder blush would make it so messy everytime I open it so I tried to find a consistensy that wouldn't be as messy as that.

I saw this DIY cream blush by lifeismakeup and I was thinking I could do that instead. The only problem is... I was hesitant to use moisturizer! Moisturizer seeps into the skin, as we all know. And mixing it with shadow pigments and all that would probably be not a good idea. (This is just my opinion, I'm sorry. I don't intend to be rude to lifeismakeup. She's great, btw.) I was just afraid that anything I mix with the moisturizer would make it easier for "it" (whatever other ingredient you're planning to mix with it) to seep into your skin. Since I'm planning to use eye shadow, I don't want those pigments to be mixed with moisturizer and clog my pores. In the end I ended up just using sunscreen. The liquid make-up was added just in the spur of the moment. I figured maybe it would help with oil control since my liquid make-up has that property and that maybe, it would help the color stay on your cheeks for longer.

Here's a pictutorial if you're interested to do the same as I did:

Now, I'm posting this to share the idea to all of you. It may not be the best out there but it works fine for me. Also, I would love to here about your insight. I'm not really an expert on all these. If you think there's something wrong with it or if you have any questions/feedbacks, please do comment below. Thank you! :)

Nail Art is Addictive: My Story

Yes, it's true. Nail art is addictive. It may look like a lot of work but for someone like me who has nothing much to do, nail art is really enjoying! I was really hesitant at first because I simply thought nail art is hard to do. Well, yes, there are some designs that are a bit time consuming but there are simple striking designs out there that you may want to try out.

I learned a couple of designs through youtube and sometimes, I combine techniques I've learned or "experiment" on other ways to do it. Below are some of the nail arts I've done.

I'm not really an expert in this field and as you can see the designs I've done are not really precise but anyway, it's fun to do. I'll try to share How-Tos on some simple designs in the future.

NYX ♥ For Your Eyes Only (Sexy Blue Eyes): Swatches

NYX ♥ For Your Eyes Only: Sexy Blue Eyes
10 Shadow Palette

No flash:

With flash:

Nice colors, right? What do you think? I was really excited to share these swatches with you guys!

Will be reviewing this pallete next time. :)