Visee Single Eyeshadow in SV006: Review

Hi guys! Today's post is just a simple swatch + mini review of a product that I had lying around my makeup drawer for months (maybe even for a year) without being touched. Of course, I didn't plan it that way. It just happened. :p

As mentioned in the post title, I will be talking about the Visee single eyeshadow in the shade SV006. I believe this is a Japanese brand as the packaging had Japanese writings in it. Correct me if I'm wrong, though... I got this from Jasmine as a prize for one of her youtube contests a while ago. It was kept at the very back of my makeup drawer so I hardly got to use it. Recently, after cleaning my makeup drawer, I took notice of it and now I'm finally making a review on it.

Etude House Oh! M' Eyelash Curling and Clean Mascara: Review

It doesn't come as a surprise that I absolutely adore mascaras that are volumizing. Having long but stick, straight and thin lashes, I really need volumizing mascaras to make my lashes noticeable. Really, it doesn't matter how long your lashes are if they're super thin and almost invisible.

There are times, however, when I feel like I just want my lashes to appear a little bit more made up without looking like I slapped on a ton of products on my eyes. This is usually when I am just casually going out, maybe for a class or at work (if I still had one), because really, I don't consider these two activities to be of much importance that I have to bring all my guns out. At times like these, I just want to sport minimal eye make-up and for those moments, Etude House Oh! M' Eyelash Curling and Clean Mascara is the way to go!

 

 

At PHP 198, this is a very reasonably priced product from a trusted Korean brand. Easily the cheapest mascara Etude House has to offer, this particular product is perfect for college students out there and working girls on a budget.

The packaging is very simple with a black tube and a very typical curling wand but the name sounds so unique and witty. "Oh! M' Eyelash" is pronounced as "Oh my lash", right? Cool beans!

Initially, I didn't really expect much from the product because I rarely buy mascaras that aren't made for volume but since this was a part of a set that I bought, I really couldn't replace it with the volume variant.

It was a blessing in disguise, though, because this particular product was well used and abused during my nursing days. (Yes, I used to be a nurse before I quit my job.) It's the perfect subtle, not in your face, not over the top mascara that you can comfortably wear when you go out for everyday activities.

 

As you can see from the photo above, the mascara was able to make my lashes noticeable without overdoing it. The best part? It was able to hold the curl of my stick, straight lashes! Also, I only had to apply one coat and I'm done.

I would definitely recommend getting this particular product in the nearest Etude House boutique near you. I got this one from Etude House in SM Sta. Rosa. For more details, you can visit Etude House Philippines' facebook page.

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.

Etude House Baby Doll Puff: Review

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. ^^)

It's not only the quality of the cosmetics that you use that makes or breaks your look but also the tools that you utilize to apply it. These things, however, doesn't have to burn a hole in your pockets. There are several brands out there that makes quality products for reasonable prices. One trusted brand for me would have to be Etude House, a Korean road shop brand.

Ever since the start of my fascination with all things beauty, I've bought several products just for the sake of trying it out. The obsession to try out the new beauty raves in forums and social media pulls us into thinking we should buy it and that it is a must-have. The same thing happened to me about two years ago, when the beauty blender trend grew to a point where every beauty guru I was subscribed (in youtube) with had one to use. At first, I was like, "It's just a sponge." but seeing people give good feedback on the product, time and time again, makes me think I am missing out on something great.

The problem, however, is not the question whether I would like to try the product out nor the fact that I don't really see beauty blenders get sold in the local department store near me. I knew in my heart that I wanted to try it and figured that if I really wanted to, I can order one online. The main problem was money. I'm not sure if you've noticed but I don't really buy stuff that are very expensive. I like to think that there is always a much better deal somewhere out there. Some of my friends call me stingy, I call myself the master of money conservation. I just can't fathom the urge to buy a PHP 1000-1500 (source: ebay) for just a sponge. I know I'm not supposed to call it 'just a sponge' because honestly, from what I can see, it's NOT 'just a sponge'. There's so much goodness behind it to refer it as 'just a sponge'. But for my case, I just feel that PHP 1000 is just too much.

 It looks just like a baby doll, true to its name! ^^

For months and months, I've been lusting over that teardrop shaped sponge. Every makeup tutorial was a pain to look at. It reminded me that I don't have (or never will have) anything like that in my collection. Up until I saw this particular product, hanging in one of Etude House's boutique. It was a pink sponge with a very cute packaging that makes it seem like a porcelain doll, looking at me, waving at me, telling me, "I am the answer to your frustrations!". I looked at the price tag and lo and behold, it's only PHP 378, a lot cheaper than the infamous beauty blender!  

I was contemplating on whether I should get it because for the longest time, I've been satisfied with just using a no-name flat top kabuki brush for applying my base makeup. But honestly, who could resist such a cute looking doll? Etude House's packaging made it really hard for me to let go of the product. Surely, when out of the box, it just looks like a plain old pink sponge but within the box, it looks absolutely adorable! So adoreble that even though I've used this tool for months and months already, I still keep it inside the box when I store it.

As I've said, I've used it a for a long period of time already and I can say that after getting ahold of this, I never felt the need to buy a beauty blender. I personally still don't own one so I can't really compare the two but boy, am I glad that I got this particular item! This is the perfect product to apply cream bases, especially BB and CC Creams, that I like to use on a daily basis. It not only proves to spread the product faster but it also doesn't make my bases look too cakey. In addition to this, compared to just using one's fingertips, the use of this item creates better coverage for foundations and the sort. Also, this has antibacterial properties so you won't have to worry about the accumulation of bacteria on the sponge but if you really want to, you can also wash it off with a nice mild soap and water, which I like to do.

You can view this video to see me actually using the product here:

Sometimes, base makeup is just a struggle to work with for blending and for coverage but with Etude House Baby Doll Puff, I never encounter cases like these. I would highly recommend that you get one for a better base makeup experience. Etude House boutiques are available here in the Philippines so you only have to look for a branch near you.

Let me know your thoughts once you try this product out! If you've already tried it before, please share your thoughts on the comment section below.

Nature Republic Aloe Vera 92% Soothing Gel: Review

Personally, I don't have much complaints in living in a tropical country. Yes, we don't have four seasons. But that gives us the leisure of having vacation perfect weather almost all year round. But the real problem lies with heat and humidity. Sometimes, these two things hinder some aspects of my skin care choice. I can't just randomly pick a moisturizer as it might feel too heavy or make my skin grease up. There was even a long period of time in my late teenage years when I failed to consider even getting a moisturizer for these very fears! But gone are those days. I am four years over the age of two decades and I now know that moisturization is as important as washing the face. So if I want to preserve my skin elasticity and keep it looking as youthful as it can be, I must find a good moisturizer. This brings me to the previously stated dilemma of skin care choice in the light of Philippine heat and humidity.

 Brand new and sealed. :)

Worry no more folks! Well, at least that's what I do. Because I found the perfect moisturizer for summer which practically means the moisturizer of choice for Philippine weather! And because I can't find any more words to prelude the introduction of this very product, I will just go ahead and state it--  "Nature Republic Aloe Vera 92% Soothing Gel"! There. I said it. Go buy it.

 English descriptions. Yay!

This 300ml of gel goodness is what I consider the product of choice to soothe and moisturize not just my face, but also my hair and nails! It is a multi-purpose product and I love products like these! It has a cooling effect and it locks in moisture very well! What's even better is once you twist the cover open, the air seems to get filled with such an aromatic smell that I can't get enough of. It certainly doesn't smell, not even remotely close, like a real aloe vera plant. And that is a good thing.

I have oily, acne prone and sensitive skin so I really have to watch out for a lot of things when trying out skin care products and this soothing gel has passed all of my evaluation parameters. It does not make me greasy, it doesn't break me out and it does not irritate my skin! I can't even ask for anything more and I probably wouldn't even say anything more if this very product didn't get priced at PHP 245, a shocking revelation that made me love the product even more. So it's not only packaged nicely without skimping on the amount of product, it smells great and works well but on top of that, it is also pretty cheap! I'm not even sure what took me so long to buy this before.

I sure am glad that EXO and Taeyeon (SNSD) was chosen as the brand's faces as it encouraged me to try out their products. And since I owe the liberty of finding about this very product to them, I deem it only fit for me to include a clip of one of their CFs before I end this entry. Oh, and it is timely too! As Nature Republic just released new CF clips of EXO with this very product. Enjoy and make sure to hit me back after trying this product out!