Holiday 2014 Makeup + OOTD

 

Happy Holidays everyone! I seem to have forgotten to schedule a post yesterday so I failed to greet everyone a Merry Christmas. I hope this blog post makes up for it, though.

Colour Collection Ultimate Wear Lipstick (11 Shades): Swatches

A few months ago, Ms. Shegil, an independent business manager and owner of Chesky's Shop, offered to give me 10 shades of this Colour Collection Ultimate Wear Lipsticks for review. I had no reasons to say no so I accepted the offer and I am glad to show you the different swatches of all the lipsticks she sent, along with the one I got from Sample Room (Headturner). All in all, there will be 11 shades shown in this post.

MEMEBOX Global #15: Haul

Before anything else, let me tell you a little something about Memebox. You might have heard of this before but for those who have only seen the name "Memebox" just now, I am here to help satisfy your curiosity.

 Credits: Memebox website

Now that you have an idea of what Memebox is, it's time for me to tell you how I got a hold of this particular box completely for FREE. About 2-3 months ago, I joined a giveaway hosted by Sparkly Chee and in that giveaway, I won 10 MEME points. (Thank you!) Meme points can be used as cash in the Memebox Global website. I used that along with the one-time discount code "TRYMEMEBOX" that slashes $15 off of your purchase. Because of that, I was able to get the box without spending anything. Aren't I lucky?

Suitcasers Hostel: Review

Planning your own South Korea trip wouldn't be complete without booking a place to stay. If you can afford to book 5-star hotels, then good for you. But if you're in for an affordable place to stay, Suitcasers is the way to go.

 

 The polaroid shots we left on the board as appreciation. :)

While waiting for our visa to get approved, we booked a reservation through the Suitcasers website. We first saw this hostel through agoda. We actually reserved through agoda but decided to just cancel and contact the Suitcasers staff directly as their mode of reservations suited our taste better.

Bulgogi Brothers: Food Diary

Bulgogi Brothers is a restaurant that I've heard more than once, twice or thrice from my good old 'chingu' (Korean for friend), Lyle. We're both Korean culture fanatics and we try a lot of Korean stuff just for appreciation. For a little over a year now, she's been raving about the restaurant saying small Korean restaurants we've eaten in so far doesn't compare to Bulgogi Brothers. Today, is just going to be a simple post showing you some of the food we ate while having lunch at the said restaurant.

I've never blogged about food and I don't think I have enough adjectives in my vocabulary to fully describe how the food tasted all in all so I'll just leave the photos to hopefully speak for itself. (Like it would. LOL)

Pond's Gold Radiance Youth Reviving Eye Cream: Review

When I hit my 20s, I realized that using eye creams really are necessary. I don't even know why it took me a while before getting used to the idea of putting eye cream. I was a little too late. I already had few fine lines when I started but at least it's now become a habit and I like to think it prevents further signs of aging.

The truth is, my holy grail eye cream isn't always readily available and it sucks when it's out of stock. That's why I hoard back ups now. A few months ago, however, I forgot to buy a back up and when I finally  finished the whole tub, I still haven't had the chance to find a store that sells my favorite eye cream.

I couldn't leave my under eye area unattended so I setlled for this eye cream that's readily available in local stores, the Ponds Gold Radiance Youth Reviving Eye Cream.

Suave Captivating Curls Whipped Cream Mousse: Review

After having my hair permed, I can never leave the house without applying mousse on my hair. Trust me, it makes a difference.

Whoever said that having permed hair means having low maintenance hair (just because you don't comb your hair) is so wrong. When I had straight hair, I can literally get out of the shower, hand comb my hair, let it air dry and I know it would look presentable to the public. Now that I have permed hair, I have to do a lot of 'ceremonies' before heading out of the house.

Nature Republic By Flower Powder Pact (#21): Review

By the time you're reading this, I'm probably ecstatic as I roam around the land of South Korea. Thursday is my 3rd day in Korea and I'm assuming I have forgotten about blogging altogether so I'm scheduling this post a day before my flight.

Today, I'm talking about this powder pact from my current favorite Korean brand, Nature Republic. This is in the shade #21, Nude Beige, which in my opinion, is a little too light for me. It's actually originally bought for my sister, that's why. Anyway, I sometimes use it and I honestly like it more than the Tony Moly Cat's Wink Clear Pact I've previously used.

Permed Hair Necessities: My List

Today's post will be all about hair. Not just any hair, though. I'm talking about permed hair. If you've read my previous post regarding my traditional perm care of Bench Fix, then you'd know that I now sport curly hair.

Curly hair is supposed to be low maintenance. For one, you don't comb your hair. Not because you're lazy, but because you're not allowed to. Combing the hair frizzes permed hair and ruins the curls altogether. But do take note that the "low maintenance" claim is purely subjective.

I, for one, do not find my curled hair low maintenance. I do a lot of things for my hair right now than when I had my naturally straight hair. And to accomplish these things, I need particular products to keep my perm looking nice.

Some of the products I use are pictured below. I will be including a short description for all but if you want a more in depth review, make sure to comment down below so I can put it in priority.

Innisfree It's Real Red Cabbage Mask: Review + Wishtrend Black Friday Sale

I noticed it's been quite a while since my face last received TLC with the use of face mask. The last time I had it was when I used this one from Innisfree. I have a good reason for skipping on face masks though (This is another story.).

While looking through my blog photos folder, I noticed this one from the lot and I realized I haven't made a post about it yet so here I am!

This face mask, supposedly, is made to give vitality and energy to your skin. Whatever may that mean, this face mask just functions like any other face mask I've tried out there. What's different, for me, is only the variant, which is Red Cabbage. I haven't tried it before so it was something new.

Performance wise, it was pretty much just the same as any other road shop brand face mask. It didn't break me out, made my skin soft and feel supple. Frankly speaking, it was nothing out of the ordinary. Don't get me wrong, though. I would still recommend this product to anyone who's interested in trying out face masks especially those who wants to try the 'One Mask A Day' skin treatment and wants different variants.

On another note, which is completely different from the product mentioned above, I would just like to inform you that Wishtrend, home of great Korean skin care and cosmetics, is having a Black Friday Week sale. For those who are interested, feel free to visit their website here:

I normally don't post stuff about these stuff but I went to the site and saw great deals so I couldn't resist sharing it with you, guys. If I had extra money, I'd definitely grab the chance to buy one. The only thing stopping me is my pending trip to South Korea (December 2-7), where I plan to spend the little money I have left with me.

With Love,
Anna Luisa

RDL Hydroquinone Tretinoin Babyface Solution 3: Bacne Be Gone!

Have you ever tried cheap skin care products? So cheap, one small bottle doesn't even reach 1 USD? Well, I have! Let me be clear, though. It wasn't an easy decision. For the longest time, I tried to avoid super cheap skin care products because I have sensitive acne prone skin and I'm not so sure about how effective these products would be.

For several months, though, I have been suffering from bad bacne. What's worse is even though I heal some of the active breakouts, I get dark spots to replace it which isn't a good sight.

A month ago, I came across a sales lady who was kind enough to share her acne experience with me. She told me she had a bad case of acne before but I see no trace anywhere as her face is currently super flawless. She told me she used the RDL Hydroquinone Tretinoin Babyface Solution 3 on her face. Of course, she had disclaimers that it works differently on different skin types and that if I have sensitive skin, she'd rather I don't get it because she doesn't want to ruin my skin. Despite all that, I braved it out and purchased it.

ELF Eyelid Primer: Review

When I first got into makeup, I saw several youtube gurus using a product called eye primer. It was so foreign to me. I've never seen my mom use it so really, it felt unreal to me.

And so I continued observing gurus here and there and they all say the same thing. That primer helps eyeshadow adhere better and keeps it from creasing. After a while, I bought my first primer, also from ELF, but in a stick/cream form. After getting sick of that, I tried this other primer in this doe foot applicator packaging.

South Korea, I'm Coming for You: Korean Tourist Visa Application

Let's see your list. You are a K-Pop fan? Check. You love Korean dramas? Check. You want to shop for Korean beauty cosmetics straight from where it's created? Check. Or you're just a traveller at heart? Check. Whatever your reason is, I'm sure your goal is to get to visit the beautiful land of South Korea. But if you're a Filipino citizen like me, the very first thing you have to do is get your visa.

 Credits to Korean Tourism Organization

Now I'm not sure if I told you this before but right now, I am in between jobs. I am a nurse by profession and I used to be an ICU nurse. I already got the experience I needed and I resigned from my position due to reasons I will not stipulate in this post (Say no to dramatic post). Anyway, I decided to explore my opportunities abroad but it won't be until next year as I have a lot of papers to process and frankly speaking, I'm not yet ready emotionally. So in summary, I am currently unemployed. I will be an english tutor soon but I don't think it will have any bearing at all right now. The problem of Korean visa application now comes in.

Monea Hair Supplement Power Dose Hair Repair: Review

About a month ago, I won a giveaway hosted by Kris Lumagui, a fellow Filipina beauty blogger and youtuber. I totally didn't expect to win so when I recevied the notice that I did, I was ecstatic. When I received the package, I found out that I won this Monea Hair Supplement Power Dose Hair Treatment. It came in timely because I just finished the hot oil treatment I was previously using.

Every Tuesdays and Saturdays, I get this excited feeling whenever I go and take a bath. This is because it's the day scheduled for my home hair treatments. I have chemically (color) treated hair so I make it a point that I do hair treatments at least twice a week. It helps keep it shiny and manageable.

Traditional Perming: Bench Fix

It comes as no surprise that people with straight hair would want to have their hair curled and people with curly hair would want theirs to be straightened. It's often just a feeling you get when you want a bit of a change from your usual stuff. I, myself, have felt that need for something new. Hence, my permed hair.

I've been born with fine, pin straight hair and I've always loved the fact that I was. I feel that straight hair is just so easy to work with that I've never resented the fact that I had it. A couple of months ago, however, I started having this urge to change my hair style a little bit by having it permanently curled. Initially, I planned for it to be done by T&J late in November but a series of events led me to have it done earlier in the month of October with my best friend, Botbot.

We scourged every salon in Festival Mall Alabang and after so many questions and comparisons, we finally decided on getting traditional perming from Bench Fix. Although we originally planned to have the digital perming, we still went for traditional perming because it's the same procedure my best friend had done a few years back and we wanted to have the same effect on our hair. The procedure costed PHP 1300.

Olay Natural White Healthy Fairness Body Bar

It comes as no surprise that many Asian countries prefer fairer looking skin and Philippines is definitely not an exception. The trend has been around for such a long time and it is here to stay. In fact, out of all my blog posts, my most commented and viewed entry would have to be on a whitening product which just proves the desire of Filipinas to get lighter skin.

There are so many skin lightening options out in the market these days but I've only been comfortable with using whitening soaps. The problem is, there's a huge selection of brands out there so choosing one out of the many could be a chore. Also, most whitening soaps have strong chemicals that causes redness, peeling patches and sometimes itchiness.

Wicked Witch / Frankenstein Halloween Look: Tutorial

I told myself I was gonna blog more this week but I wasn't able to since I've been sick like hell since Sunday. I thought it was just going to be a short illness but it seems like whatever I've got is taking its time. I feel a little better today, though. I've got no fever and I'm almost not dizzy anymore. I still feel a little weak and I still have a bit of headache but I guess I can work with that. Since I'm sick, I thought this would be a good excuse to just make a post out of my most recent youtube video upload.

N.Cat Philippines Grand Opening: Event

WARNING: PHOTO HEAVY

"Keep Calm and Accessorize."

October 25 marks a milestone in the history of my blogging experience. Finally, I've agreed to attend a bloggers' event. I've always wanted to attend one but the schedule and event location doesn't always match well with me so I had to regrettably decline a couple of invitations. Good thing N.Cat's invitation came in early and the location is somewhere that I'm very familiar with. What's even better is that I was allowed to bring friends with me!

Costume, Fashion, Jewelry: N.Cat's specialty

So just to give you an overview,  N.Cat or Naughty Cat, is the leading accessories shop in Korea. With over 100 stores in Korea alone and even more stores globally, N.Cat is a trend leader when it comes to fashion accessories. It has been in the market for 23 years since 1991. N.Cat offers a wide variety of accessories from the usual fashion rings, bracelets, necklaces and earrings to hair extensions, bags and caps.

ELF Duo Eyeshadow Cream (Mocha Swirl): Review

Today's product review features a product from ELF. It's called the Duo Eyeshadow Cream in Mocha Swirl. It has two neutral shades that are best used as base for your eye makeup. Personally, I prefer the darker brown color over the other one but both works fine.

Etude House Secret Beam Powder Pact: Review

Something that I cannot miss whenever I do my makeup is dusting my face with powder. With very oily skin like mine, it's almost a sin to leave the house without finishing my makeup with powder. Unless I aim to look like a grease ball, that is.

 

This particular product from Etude House is an item that I've been iffy to try out mainly because it has 'beam' in its product name. Normally, when the product name has 'beam' in it, there's a promise of glowy skin. Glowy skin, to people with the same skin type as me, just simply means 'oil enhancement'. And yet again, I was wrong to assume this.

Gluta-C Skin Whitening Gel: Review

Not everyone has a problem with uneven skin tone but I do. Especially on my elbows and underarms. My elbows are a little bit dark. I don't know why but ever since the world began (Okay, so this is an exaggeration.), I've noticed that I have quite dark elbows. My underarms, however, isn't actually dark but the color is uneven so it also bothers me a lot. The culprit could be constant shaving for years. But whatever confirmed reason there is for these problems, at the end of the day, what matters is how I handle it.

After going through different blogs out there, I found out about this Gluta-C Underarm and Bikini Skin Whitening Gel. There were a lot of raves for this product as a lot of people had positive remarks on this item.

THEFACESHOP Raspberry Roouts Fitting Up Essence: Review

My first post for the month of October! Oh, how time flies. I haven't been posting much for two reasons: 1.) I'm lazy. 2.) I've been tweaking my blog design. Yesterday, I just applied my new blog design to my blog. It took me a whole week to get this done although I'm pretty sure it would just take one hour for some people out there. I'm pretty happy with the results of the design template and I would sincerely be thankful if you give me your feedback in the comment section below. Okay, so enough about my excuses.

For 8 years now, I've been a fan of Korean movies, dramas and music. Because of this, I've grown fond of the Korean culture. One of the things I've grown fond of in the Korean culture is their beauty routines. Korea is well known for being forward when it comes to beauty trends and I can say that I fully trust them with this because based from my observations, most Korean women (and men) have great skin. This could also be because they have good genes and they've mastered the art of skin care.

I'm not sure if you're aware of this but Korean skin care routine is definitely longer than the usual Cleanse-Tone-Moisturize routine that most people know of. They also have a wide range of skin care products such as essense, serum, booster, ampoule, etc. In this post, I will be talking about an essence that I've tried before from the Korean brand THEFACESHOP.

Clinique All About Eyes: Review

When should one start applying eye cream? In their 20s? 30s? That is the question. After reading through several articles, it is said and agreed upon by many different dermatologists that eye cream isn't necessary in the 20s unless you have dry skin. Otherwise, they just promote sun protection.

I am in my mid-20s and I've been using eye creams for about 5 years now. I also have oily skin. Does that mean I've been doing my routine wrong all this time? Not necessarily. Although experts say that most people don't need it in this period of time, there are still exceptions to the rule. In my case, I started noticing dryness under my eyes at the young age of 21. Dryness leads to fine lines. Who wants that? I know I don't. This pushed me to start with eye cream.

Sephora Sunset Palette: Review

One of my most abused beauty item this month would have to be my Sephora Sunset Palette, a product that I got almost a year ago. It is the only Sephora item in my collection and even though I had no intention of overusing it this month, I kind of did.

 The palette itself is contained in a transparent plastic box.

I always try to switch out makeup products as much as I can because I want every single item in my collection to be used as frequently as possible. But of course, time and time again, there would be several products that stand out in a certain time period. This month, it's this.

 Just like its name, the packaging is in sunset colors.

I mainly got this palette for my trip last year (December 2013) in Japan. While I was browsing through e-bay, I saw this product being sold at a very affordable price. I looked at the shades and without so much contemplation, I bought it. I thought it would be the perfect travel palette as it contains 14 beautiful wearable shades that can be used both for day and night. What's even better is that it includes a blush, a bronzer and a nice mirror, aside from 12 great eyeshadows.

I was really excited when I placed my order because I've never seen actual Sephora products in real life. I've heard of the brand a couple of times from different beauty gurus I was following so you can just imagine how excited I was at getting a hold of the product.

The palette comes in a handy packaging that is almost just the same size as my hand. It comprises of a combination of matte and shimmery eyeshadows, and of neutral and colored ones. There's also a (very) pigmented bronzer and a (not-so-pigmented) blusher.

For reference, each of the shade are labeled at the back of the palette so it's easy to say which is which.

But of course, it is never enough to just stare at their photos in the pan. An eyeshadow review must have swatches, right? I've swatched each and every single one of them just so you have a better grasp of how the product looks like when used.

 (L-R: Beige, Apricot, Deep Burgundy, Pale Pink, Wine, Violet)

 (L-R: White Gold, Bronze, Khaki, White Shimmer, Silver, Must Have No.6)

 (Blush and Bronzer)

I am very satisfied with this product. Almost all the shades are pigmented. True to my expectations, it is a good palette to bring with you when you travel.

This is a highly recommended product. If you're just starting out with makeup, I suggest you get this palette as it will have all the necessary colors to create a wide range of looks and it doesn't take much space as it's very compact.

Snoe Shoo-zit Don't Bother Me Back Acne Spray: Review

As if pimples on my face isn't enough, for the longest time, I've also had to battle back acne or bacne. Aside from the fact that it restricts the type of clothing you wear (no backless, no low back cuts), it's also really hard to self medicate. It's hard to do back spot treatment on your own. Unless you're The Incredible's Elastigirl, then I suppose you're like me. Your reach is probably limited and there are areas that you simply cannot cover.

Good thing I stumbled upon Snoe's Shoo Zit Don't Bother Me Spray Me From Behind Back Acne Spray (Try saying it. It's a mouthful, I know. Haha). It's basically a pimple treatment in the form of spray and it is commonly used for the back because it helps one cover everything, even areas that are hard to reach, all with little effort. Since it's in a spray form, the range is much wider and it can be applied easily.

 Directions and warnings.

Its main ingredients include PUREFIX-DC and salicylic acid, a pimple treatment I've always trusted. This product really helps soothe swollen and 'angry' pimples. Unfortunately, this doesn't happen over night but rest assured, it performs quite well with continued use.

The only negative thing I can think of about this particular product is its fume-like smell. It's super strong. It definitely seeps in and makes one cough if not used correctly. That is why I would highly recommend that you spray it in a well ventilated place. Otherwise, you won't like the experience.

I got this in Snoe SM Sta. Rosa for only PHP349. What's even more amazing about this is that Snoe is actually a local Filipino brand but the quality of products they produce are amazing. I especially like their packaging and the way they name their products. It reminds me of Benefit.

Feel free to browse through Snoe's web page right here for more information.