July Favorites (Makeup, Skin Care, KPOP, Music, etc.)

It's 11:30PM right now and I'm currently editing my next youtube upload and I just realized that I still don't have a post ready for tomorrow. Now because my goal is to sleep earlier (at around 2AM) today, I won't be doing a review for today. Instead, I will just share this clip with you:

It's simply a July Favorites video featuring the things I loved during the month of July in terms of skin care, makeup, music, movies, etc. I've also talked a little about what has transpired in my life so consider it as an update as well. Sorry if this post comes off as rushed but I really need to get back into editing. I will try to make a better post for tomorrow but just in case I don't, at least you have something to read/watch (unless you're a subscriber and you've already watched it). :)

Ponds Acne Expert Pore Conditioning Toner: Review

Okay, so recently, I've been getting messages from younger readers asking me what skin care product they can use for themselves. This is actually a really hard question for me as I'm very careful when I recommend products for all of you out there. I don't really want to recommend anything that would not be suitable for anyone.

Honestly, I don't really have a full grasp of what products aren't really suitable for younger skin because when I was younger, I pretty much just used commercial facial washes and toners. Other than that, I applied nothing on my face except (of course) for my spot treatment. So I'm just going to put this DISCLAIMER out there. I did not study dermatology so I'm not really a skin expert. However, if you're interested to know what I used when I was younger, then keep on reading. :)

As I've said, during my teenage years, I only used commercial facial washes and toners. And just like the majority of adolescents out there, I wasn't spared with having problematic skin. At the young age of 13, I have declared myself to be an unfortunate oily, acne prone, sensitive skinned person. Like any other teenager, I used products that are meant to help with these problems. One of the products I've used would have to be this Ponds Acne Expert Pore Conditioning Toner.

When I was younger, I was only staying away from products that cause peeling mainly because these chemicals are deemed as 'too harmful' by my parents. So basically, I never get products that cause peeling over-the-counter. If I do get a product with peeling effects, it would always be under the direction of a professional, a dermatologist. Otherwise, I play it safe with products like the one I mentioned.

Ten years ago, my breakouts aren't as severe as now and a regular toner such as this is enough to keep my face blemish free. This particular product has Tea Tree and Salicylic Acid, which are both good acne fighting ingredients. This is best suited for my delicate skin as the other popular acne fighting product, benzoyl peroxide, causes me redness and irritation. Needless to say, this toner from the brand Ponds was able to help with my mild skin problems without causing any allergic reaction.

This particular toner is available in leading groceries, convenience stores, supermarkets, drugstores and the like so you definitely won't have a hard time getting one. It is also fairly cheap and works well.

To summarize, I still wouldn't want to recommend anything for a teenager to use as part of his/her skin care routine but if you ask me what I used during my time, it would be simply this toner right here. I was also able to try an astringent from another brand but I'll leave that out for my next post.

Beauty Blogger of the Month Award: Tag

Okay, so this isn't exactly tagged as 'tag' but I'm going to categorize it as such for my blogspot labels to be more organized. :) So I was nominated by Tina Bytes for the Beauty Blogger of the Month. I totally didn't expect this and I was really happy (and honored) when I read her comment. It's nice to feel appreciated. Thank you!

Along with this nomination, I am tasked to answer a few questions. Normally, I don't do this kind of thing so I thought this would be a good chance for you to know more about me, instead of the products I review. Okay? Okay. (Unintentional TFIOS reference right there!) There are 7 beauty related questions and I'm going to answer it for all of you. :)

1. Where does your makeup inspiration come from?

- I've been inspired by a lot of youtubers, mainly. It all started when I stumbled upon Michelle Phan's videos. Her videos got me interested in makeup and now the inspiration comes from a variety of youtubers and bloggers that I've been constantly following. There's so many of them, I can't even write all of their names down.

2. What are 3 of your makeup Holy Grail products you cannot live without?

- BB Cream, Brow Product and a Lip Color (any tint, gloss, lipstick)

3. What is your makeup signature look which you have on most of the time?

- My makeup actually varies from time to time but I usually wear BB Cream, powder, brow powder + brow mascara, neutral eyeshadow (just a single shade), eyeliner, mascara, bronzer, blush and lipstick.

4. Let us know your favorite makeup brands?

- THEFACESHOP, Nature Republic and Tony Moly.

5. Your ultimate makeup pet peeve?

- I don't think I have any but if I really have to mention one, it would probably be ungroomed brows. I'd say I get bothered by it at times but I don't really get annoyed with it.

6. You’ve heard about all the hype on this makeup item, bought it, tried it and don’t understand what all the fuss is about…Name that product!

- Etude House Wonder Pore Freshner

7. Concealer OR foundation ONLY for the rest of your life. Choose one and tell us the reason!

- Foundation. When a foundation is good enough, it can double up as a concealer. Plus, I find it of more importance to even out the skin tone rather than covering up blemishes. :)

Now, onto my own nominations! I nominate the following:

- RealAsianBeauty

- Sparkly Chee

- Xiao Vee

- Kim Kine

- Shimmering Thoughts

- Random Beauty by Hollie

- Kimpossibly Gorgeous

I want to nominate more people but rules say I can only nominate 7. If you've been nominated, make sure to visit Celia's Corner Beauty Blogger of the Month for the original post and rules.

Colour Collection Vitamin E Lipstick (Sheer) in Pinkish Nude: Review

Originally priced at PHP 330, I got this full size, 4g lipstick for free from Sample Room. Sample Room is a website that allows you to sample a variety of products ranging from beauty, skin care to other things like fitness, etc. If you've never visited their site, I suggest that you do. You won't regret it. :)

Last year, I got this particular lipstick from there. Believe it or not, I was surprised to see that I don't have a separate post for this particular product. I really thought I already reviewed it but after going through my folder of review back logs, I saw these photos and I realized I haven't done a proper review yet.

I chose this color because I thought this would be a great shade to use for everyday. True to my expectations, its color is one of my most favorite shades to sport on a regular day outside. It is a pinkish coral shade. I know the shade name is pinkish nude but it really doesn't appear nude-ish to me. It actually brightens up your lip color without overdoing it.

When I was still wearing this to work (back when I was still working in the ICU), a lot of my workmates complimented this particular shade because it was a really nice everyday pink shade. Also, it is quite moisturizing as it contains vitamin E and it's sheer enough that I don't have problems applying it without a mirror.

These are swatches, just in case you wanted to see how it looks like. I apologize for the low quality photos for this post as this was taken using my old camera. But the color is pretty similar, especially the first swatch above. I just decided to include the poorly taken second swatch because I would like to emphasize that this particular shade is a bit glossy when worn. :)

I really love this product. It's one of my most favorite products from Sample Room. The only negative thing I can think of is the scent as it has a very lipstick-y scent. It's hard to explain but it smells a bit waxy. However, this doesn't bother me that much since this waxy scent disappears within the minute you apply it on your lips.

Colour Collection products can be bought through dealers. Personally, I haven't bought one as I don't know any Colour Collection dealers out there. If you are one, please comment down below and leave us your contact details so we'd know where to get Colour Collection products from.

THEFACESHOP Brow Powder Duo: Review

Back when I was in college, I didn't know much about makeup and the few things I put on my face are just powder and lip color. Occasionally, I would add in a blush or an even rarer addition of eyeliner. I almost have all the basics except for one important point-- EYEBROWS!!!

Admittedly, I didn't know the importance of having a well defined brows. For years, I didn't even care about trying to groom my brows. Imagine my surprise when I learned about the wonders of having well shaped and well defined brows, especially in photos. It came as a huge discovery that I made sure to put to heart.

 

If you didn't already know, my dear readers, our eyebrows frames our face. This is the very reason why beauty gurus aren't joking when they say your eyebrows complete your look. It can not only improve your everyday appearance, but can also transform your look depending on how you would shape your brows.

 This is the old packaging.

Personally, I just follow the natural shape of my brows. I don't shape my own brows as I have it done in Lay Bare (most of the time) and Benefit counters when I have extra cash. I like the straight and defined look but recently, especially in the Korean beauty community, thick, straight brows tend to be the trend as it can make you look youthful in an instant. But then again, no matter what brow preference you have, you still have to make sure your brows look polished before stepping out of the house. I swear, it makes all the difference.

A product that I like to use on a daily basis would have to be the THEFACESHOP Brow Powder Duo. I actually got this particular product over 2 years ago but I only started using it a little over a year ago.

It is called 'duo' because as you can see, it has two shades of brown. Usually, I just use the lighter brown shade but when I want more definition, I try to use the darker shade.

The swatches aren't extraordinary, in my opinion. However, I never felt the need to change my brow product because I am very much satisfied with the results this gives. The applicator proved to be useful to me for about 6 months but after buying a separate brow brush, I never touched the applicator it came with. Frankly speaking, I may have even lost it somewhere in my makeup stash.

 

This is a highly recommended product and thankfully, if you also live in the Philippines, there are a lot of THEFACESHOP stores in leading department stores nationwide. Oh, and before I forget, if you want to see how I use this particular product, you can watch my Nature Republic Botanical Eyebrow Mascara Review + Demo (How I Do My Brows) video which also showcased this particular item. Enjoy!

Neutrogena Deep Clean Revitalizing Ultra Foam Cleanser (Grapefruit): Review

My love relationship with foaming products doesn't only revolve around Bubble Hair Dyes like the ones from Palty and Prettia. It also doesn't stop with the Innisfree Mineral Whipping BB Cream nor the Purederm Bubble Oxygen Mask. Neutrogena also has a product I've been particularly fond of the first time I used it.

I've always had oily, acne prone skin. Pimples and blackheads are almost always problems I have to deal with. There are times, however, when my hormones are behaving quite well and I experience 'better' days of no breakouts whatsoever. During these moments, I try to take advantage of this and wean myself off of products made especially for acne.

I'm not really sure if this happens to everyone but I feel like if I only use one type of skin care continuously, my skin develops tolerance to its active ingredients until I reach a point where the products don't help me with blemishes anymore. Because of this, I make sure that when my skin is being cooperative (and is blemish-free), I make use of regular skin care products that has no active acne fighting ingredients. One product that I loved using was this Neutrogena Deep Clean Revitalizing Ultra Foam Cleanser.

I bought this particular product after being encouraged by my sister. This is because my sister likes to share some of my skin care products and she really wanted to try this product out. Being the good sister that I am (excuse my self praise. :p), I bought one for the both of us.

There were two variants during that time, a pink and a purple (brightening), and we chose this pink one which is the Revitalizing Grapefruit. We chose this with the ever-so-helpful saleslady of Neutrogena in SM Makati Watsons. She told us that this particular product has anti-aging properties that helps reveal younger looking skin and that it would be more suited for my sister and I.

It came in this nice plastic packaging with a distinguished dispenser that releases the foam. During my first use, I really was fond of the foam that came out of the nozzle. It was probably one of the most exciting foam cleanser dispensing experience I've ever had. I know it sounds childish but I was really into the concept!

I also really really liked the smell. To be honest, I liked the purple's smell better at first but after a couple of uses, I got used to its scent and I actually prefer this one now.

Performance-wise, this particular cleanser did a good job, especially if you don't have problematic skin. I personally don't use this on days when my skin breaks out but it does a good job cleansing my face. From my experience, this product works well with my sensitive skin without causing further problems in the form of zits.

This particular product is available locally at Watsons so you probably won't have a hard time trying to get your hands on it. It is priced at PHP 309 which is fairly reasonable for the amount of product you're getting.

Have you tried this product before? Let me know in the comments section below. :)

Skin 101 (Diamond Peel, Facial, Pimple Injection): Review + Giveaway Winner!!!

I don't know if you guys are aware but I've been struggling with breakouts recently. One of the main culprits would be my hormones but another notable cause would have to be my encounter with Belo AcnePro. I've stopped the said product for about one month now and my skin hasn't broken out as much although there are still few zits here and there. You may have read about my love relationship with THEFACESHOP's Clean Face Clear Away Spot. And just as I said in that post, that small bottle is a container of miracle skin goodness. However, topical products such as these are sometimes not enough. I have to get a facial cleaning to help clear up the skin.

Personally, I've tried so many options out there. At first, I was a loyal patient to a local dermatologist and she was the one doing all the extractions needed. The problem, however, was the cost. Having to deal with professional fee and all the medications, my weekly routine has become too expensive for my budget. I, then, decided to try out different facial spas. I've tried Flawless, Let's Face It, Ysa's Spa and Skin 101. I can talk about my experience with each of them but that would take forever to write so I'm just opting to write about one. (If you want me to write about the other facial centers, just comment down below.)

For about a year now, I've been a loyal customer to Skin 101, thanks to its affordable packages and the nice staff in SM Muntinlupa. My very first encounter with Skin 101 wasn't all that exciting. I was just roaming around the center with a friend when I decided to get a pimple injection on a whim. A few days before that, I noticed a cystic acne forming around my lip area. It was so big and painful that smiling was actually a form of torture on my part. Any movement done by my lips, speaking included, made the spot throb with pain. While looking through the different shops, I confessed my dilemma to my friend (who I was shopping with) and asked her if I could just drop by a skin clinic for a quick remedy. Being a good friend that she is (Hi Vei!), she agreed.

I knew what I wanted and needed-- pimple injection! I've been getting them from Flawless before so the concept isn't really anything new. The only problem I had then was the fact that there were only limited skin clinics around the place and Flawless was not included in them. I struggled to choose where to get it done but not all clinics offer pimple injections. To my delight, when I went into Skin 101, they told me they had it.

In Flawless, it costs about PHP100 per injection so I was expecting the price to be within that range but lo and behold! It is so much cheaper in Skin 101! For the same price, you get to have 3 injections. However, if you just want one spot to be treated, then they'd charge you PHP50. Not as big savings compared to the 3 shots package but it is still half the price of one injection in Flawless! After the treatment, they informed me that if, by chance, the acne does not subside within 3 days, I can go back for a follow-up injection for free! Now that's quality service right there! Honestly, though, I've never gone back for a follow-up injection because they always subside within 3 days. :)

Just to try it out, I went back for an Acne Control Facial. But after some time, I decided to go with their diamond peel package (PHP1000 for 2 sessions/ Buy 1 Take 1). Ever since then, I've been getting this treatment on a regular basis. During the days when my skin is just plainly covered with blemishes, I try to go back every two weeks or so. But if the situation isn't that bad, I go every month.

Needless to say, I switched to Skin 101 and haven't felt the need to go back or switch to another skin clinic ever since. To sum it up, for more than a year now, I've been extremely satisfied with their services. In fact, I just availed of their diamond peel (with glycolic) plus facial services two weeks ago and I plan to go back in a week or two from now. (Even my sister is on her way to the place right at this moment for her appointment.) I highly recommend this place! Let me know if you've tried Skin 101 before. :)

And for those who missed it, my Palty Bubble Hair Dye giveaway winner has been announced and the said winner has already responded. Just to let you know, here's the selection rafflecopter made for me.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For those who didn't win, don't be too sad as there will be more opportunities in the future. Who knows, I may be hosting one again soon, right? Anyway, thank you so much for showing your support in my giveaway and my blog/youtube/social media. It really means a lot to me and I hope I can keep in contact with you guys. I really love it when you guys leave comments or send me messages either through e-mail or social media. :) 

Tony Moly Berry Berry Magic Lip Tint: Review

Hi everyone! There's only a day left to join my international giveaway. It's totally easy to join so be sure to enter and get the chance to win a Japanese Bubble Hair Dye called Palty Foam Hair Dye in the shade Milk Tea Brown!

Moving on to the real post, I am here to share with you one of my most favorite makeup items ever. It's the perfect everyday lip color for me. The photos were taken a while back when I got this as a present for my birthday last year but I only got the chance to review it now. Do note that this is the old packaging and as you go through this post, I will also be sharing its new packaging so you don't miss it out in stores. The product is called Berry Berry Magic Lip Tint from the Korean brand, Tony Moly. Why magic, you say? Read on and find out! ;)

The product comes in a sturdy plastic packaging that's just a little bit bigger than a 5 peso coin. It's very handy and fits into my makeup bag very well. Contrary to most Korean brand packaging, its appearance is quite simple. There are no printed designs, no artwork embossed nor drawn. The shape isn't anything special either. However, I don't mind this because it definitely delivers more than it presents.

Manufacturing date is written at the back! :)

I got this in the shade #1 Strawberry. I swatched all three colors (before) and initially, I thought this was the lightest of the three. This is the very reason why I didn't get this for myself. I got the Green Apple one (which I haven't opened yet) for myself. Thankfully, a good friend of mine (Thanks Dana!) decided to give this to me as a present. It turns out, this particular shade comes out brighter on me than the other two.

As you can see, the product itself is clear. It just looks like a regular lip gloss in this small container. This is where the term 'magic' comes in. When you first swatch the product, it delivers a very light pink shade that reacts to your skin chemistry. A few more seconds later, it transforms into a brighter shade of pink that looks really complimentary to my medium light skin tone.

This has been a staple in my makeup bag for months and months and I remember being fond of using it as an everyday work lip color. I got a lot of compliments whenever I wear it and the best thing about it is that it's super easy to use.

I used to work as a nurse and everything seems fast paced and activities happen one after another that it's really hard to maintain and retouch your makeup within the day. This particular product, on the other hand, makes it easy to do so because I can easily reapply this even without the use of a mirror.

Even though I don't use it as often as I first tried it, this still remains as one of my most reached out product especially when I can't decide on what lip color to sport. My sister also particularly likes to 'borrow' this because of its versatility and outstanding performance.

I would highly recommend this product to any girl out there! Just know that this is already marketed as the "Tony Moly Berry Delight Magic Lip Tint" and it has four different shades. According to some other bloggers, the Strawberry (clear) and Green Apple (green) still has the same shade but the other two are new ones.

 

Make sure to get one when you drop by a Tony Moly Philippines counter/ boutique near you! Also, let me know about the two new shades as I don't have them in my collection (yet).

St. Ive's Green Tea (Naturally Clear) Cleanser and (Blemish Control) Scrub: Review

There's only 3 days left to join my ongoing giveaway! I will be giving away a hair dye from the Japanese brand called Dariya Palty in the shade Milk Tea Brown, which happens to be one of the popular shades they have. It is open internationally so everyone is encouraged to join. :) (You will probably see this introduction in most of my future posts up until the giveaway is over. I hope you don't mind the post by post plug. ^^)

Hi everyone! Once again, I missed a post yesterday. This is due to the fact that we've been out of electricity for more than 12 hours yesterday. From 3AM to approximately 8PM, we had no electricity, no internet, not even water! There was a typhoon that hit the Philippines and the strong winds caused damages that took quite a while to fix. By the time the electricity was restored, I was in no mood to write a review up. But I feel all hyped now so I'm writing one now.

One of the products I've tried to get rid of my acne is this duo from St. Ive's. It's from their Green Tea variant which is formulated for acne prone skin. It claims to clear breakouts and reduce redness. It contains salicylic acid and green tea, ingredients that are known to help battle acne.

Honestly, I've had high expectations of this product because before buying one, I read a lot of good reviews regarding it. A few beauty gurus I follow also include this in their skin care routine so there was really no hesitation on my part when I decided to get these from the Watsons shelf.

My sister was particularly happy with the purchase as she was very fond of its 'green tea' smell. I personally don't think it smells exactly like green tea. It's definitely more fragrant but with a green tea (or leafy) aroma. Anyway, I got both the cleanser and the scrub because my sister pushed me to buy both.

Unfortunately, neither of the two proved to clear my breakouts and reduce redness. It didn't do anything much on that area but it does cleanse and scrub well. It didn't break me out either.

I use the cleanser as an everyday face wash and the green tea scrub twice a week for gentle exfoliation. There was really nothing different about the cleanser. It lathered really well and came in a really nice pump packaging.

The srub, however, I found to be quite nice. The beads were very fine, giving me a more subtle approach whenever I scrub my face with it. It doesn't feel as abrasive as other scrubs I've used and proves to deeply cleanse my face.

Although it didn't do much with breakout control, the duo still proves to be nice products, especially if you don't have that much of a problematic skin to begin with. The smell is nice and performs well as a gentle face wash and scrub. I got both from Watsons in SM Sta. Rosa. The cleanser was priced at PHP 224 and the scrub was priced at PHP 187.

I wouldn't recommend it to people with moderate to severe acne. But for those with just mild conditions, I think this product would suffice.

Have you tried this product before? What are your thoughts?

Tony Moly Kiss Kiss Lip Scrub: Review

There's only 6 days left to join my ongoing giveaway! I will be giving away a hair dye from the Japanese brand called Dariya Palty in the shade Milk Tea Brown, which happens to be one of the popular shades they have. It is open internationally so everyone is encouraged to join. :) (You will probably see this introduction in most of my future posts up until the giveaway is over. I hope you don't mind the post by post plug. ^^)

Talking about lip care is so rare for me. Honestly, my lips aren't really high maintenance. For the past 24 years of my life, my lips have been very good to me. They're almost always well moisturized and needed nothing but a good lip balm to keep its state. There are days, however, when my lips just go a little bit rebellious and become dry and flaky. It's most apparent during summer season whenever I forget to hydrate myself well enough. But rainy season isn't an exception either. Occasionally, I would experience this dilemma and find that my regular lip balm isn't enough. In times like this, I turn to use my Tony Moly Kiss Kiss Lip Scrub.

This PHP348 of goodness comes in a very cute lip shape plastic packaging. I don't know about you but I am really fond of its shape. To add things on top of that, the packaging is in a nice coral pink shade which I absolutely adore! That is why when me and my sister came across this product in SM Mall of Asia Watsons, we didn't hesitate to buy it.

This was originally intended for my sister who was suffering from extreme lip dryness due to the use of an acne medication that rendered her skin dehydrated all over, including lips! Her lips, back then, were flaky and wounded, with cuts in between because of the said dryness. She was really having a hard time then and we decided to take action. We wanted to buy a product that would be gentle enough to exfoliate the lips while leaving it well moisturized to keep it from further cracking.

 A lid to protect the product from contamination is present.

This particular product has vegetable grain scrub that makes it an effective product for peeling. This helps remove the dry flakes on the lips and leave it smooth. It also has honey to nourish the skin and leave it moisturized. After using it once, my sister was in love with the product. Because her lip condition was very bad during that time, it took her a couple of usage before her lips dramatically improved. Nevertheless, she was very impressed with the product.

Shortly after that, I also experienced the same problem, only my condition wasn't as bad as my sister. I noticed that my lips were cracking a bit and no amount of lip balm was helping with the case. This pushed me to try the same product. At first, I was really pleased with the scent as it had a cherry-like smell that I really like but after all the process of lip scrubbing, I found myself totally in love with the whole product itself as it left my lips (almost) perfectly soft and smooth with just one use!

Honestly, this is the first lip scrub I have ever tried and I have never tried another brand of lip scrub again. I would highly recommend this product for those of you who wants to give your lips some love.

For more details on the product, you can visit Tony Moly Philippine's website or facebook page. You can also follow them in twitter. This is not a sponsored post. I bought this product with my own money.

In2It Waterproof Gel Liner (Very Black): Review + Eyeliner for Beginners (Tips)

Before I go on with the formal content of this post, I would like to invite everyone to join my ongoing giveaway. I will be giving away a hair dye from the Japanese brand called Dariya Palty in the shade Milk Tea Brown, which happens to be one of the popular shades they have. It is open internationally so everyone is encouraged to join. :) (You will probably see this introduction in most of my future posts up until the giveaway is over. I hope you don't mind the post by post plug. ^^)

One of the questions I usually encounter from friends who recently come to realize their fascination with makeup is how to line the eyes. My initial reaction? Which part? Are you talking about lining the waterline, tightlining or lining the upper lash line? What type of lining technique do you want to achieve? Do you want a droopy eye, a cat eye or just simple definition of your natural lash line? The possibilities when it comes to lining eyes in general are varied that is why it is very hard for me to come up with just a short answer.

Product Used: Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner

For one, we all have different eye shapes. Different eye shapes have different lining styles that compliment them. Two, I'm not an expert at this field. I don't really consider myself as an expert at any kind of makeup. I mainly just view myself as an enthusiast. So ultimately, I have a lot of knowledge regarding cosmetics but all the knowledge I have are things that I've just acquired over years of inquiring and researching. I've never received professional training so I guess I can say that the technique I use is that of a beginner. I say this because I want to warn you beforehand. And I want to repeat this for emphasis-- I am not a makeup expert. But then again, if you're interested to know what this novice has to say, then by all means, continue reading. :)

I can still remember the time when I first got curious with the concept of lining the eyes. I didn't know anything. I was watching tutorials on youtube and was fascinated by the different ways and different kinds of liners one may choose to apply them. Back then, I only knew of how to line my waterline. Fortunately, I was never the type of person to be afraid of getting poked by eyeliners. Hence, ever since I was a young girl, whenever my mom would do my makeup (for special occassions), I would be the one to personally line my waterline. My mom just had to show me how to do it once and I was able to follow. So for a tip, I should say that for you to successfully line your waterline, you must have a steady hand and a brave heart. Of course, a good waterproof eyeliner would prove to be helpful as well. But if you really can't stand 'pointy' things near your eyes, then don't push it. There are a lot more ways to line your eyes that would be more appropriate for you.

The next technique I was able to master was the art of lining my upper lash line. To be honest, it took me a long period of trial and error before I actually felt like I was already doing a good job. And frankly, there are still days when I feel like my eyeliner application just looks like a mess. The only tip I can give you is to continuously practice. Remember that most people do not master this technique in just a week or two. Take me for example. It took me months and months before I got the hang of lining my upper lash line. So if it didn't work out the first time, don't be discouraged. Just try again and eventually, you will find the stroke that is most comfortable and convenient for you.

Tightlining is a different technique as it requires you to touch your upper waterline which is pretty hard at first and would most probably tear you up. But thanks to TheMakeupChair, I found the easiest way to line your upper waterline! I'm not sure if it will work for you but it definitely did for me. Here's a video of me doing the technique so you can easily understand how just a simple method of closing your eyelids would turn this chore into a habit (link). 

Personally, I was able to master these techniques by using pencil eyeliners first. The shape of it is what made me choose this as a beginner tool because it's very sturdy and I feel in control. I suggest you explore different kinds of eyeliners and choose the one that you feel most comfortable with. I have friends who learned it by using an angled brush and a gel liner first, so really, it's all about your own preference.

Also, I don't jump from one kind of eyeliner to another. I don't practice them all at the same time. I first focused on pencil liners, followed by gel liners then liquid liner. When I first mastered applying eyeliner on my upper lash line with the use of kohl pencil, I found it easiest to transition to gel liner by simply lining my lash line with it first then tracing it or topping it off with gel liner afterwards. Through this, I developed my gel liner skills and was able to apply them without the kohl pencil as a mark underneath. I followed the same trend in learning how to apply the liquid liner. You can also try to make use of this technique but again, if you don't feel comfortable doing all this work, don't push it. Just stick to a technique that, you guessed it, keeps you at ease.

There is no single way of telling you how you should learn eye lining. It is for you to discover on your own. Just make sure to practice, practice, and did I say practice? You will eventually learn by repitition. Don't stress over it so much and definitely don't give up half way.

Now let me take this opportunity to share with you a product that you might be interested in. This is a good product especially for those who are most comfortable with using pencil type eyeliners. It's a gel liner packaged as pencil type! It combines the ease of use of pencil type eyeliners and the opaque and creamy formula of gel liners! The best part is it's waterproof so it's perfect to be used for lining the waterline and tightlining.

 

The product is called the In2It Waterproof Gel Liner in the shade WG01 Very Black. The first thing I noticed was the packaging. I really like the design that's printed all over the pencil. The flowers make the pencil look girly, which I like. It has a cap to cover the tip and protect it from getting chipped.

It also comes with a sharper that is very useful. I find that when I use a different sharperner for this product, there is a higher chance that the tip would just simply break off. It also has a cleaning stick at the back to remove pencil residue in between the blades (not pictured, sorry).

It claims to be waterproof and long wearing, which I can attest to. It also claims to not smudge and helps avoid panda eyes. I wouldn't necessarily say it's totally smudge proof but comparatively, this eyeliner withstands smudging, running and bleeding better than other eyeliners out there. It dries and sets after a couple of seconds. I personally don't really time it so I'm not sure if the 60 second claim is true. I feel like it dries sooner than that.

True to its shade name, this eyeliner is "very black".

It is super creamy and easy to apply. I really like this product and I got it for PHP 379.75 at Watsons in SM Makati. If you're transitioning from pencil liners to gel liners, or maybe you're just finding it hard to work with angled brush and the typical gel liner in a jar, then this might be the answer to your problems! I highly recommend it.

I hope this post has helped you in one way or another. If you have other tips or stories to share, please don't hesitate to comment down below as I'm sure many people reading this would appreciate it.

I'm sorry this post turned out to be lengthy. Mian~