Archives for January 2014

Make Up Forever Aqua Brow Corrector

January 25, 2014 by Tina Lee Leave a Comment

I’ve made it my mission to find the best concealer I could get my grubby hands on. I was at SM Aura the other day for one thing, to buy their Aqua Brow because it’s the stuff of legends. But because the staff took their sweet time processing my order, I got around swatching the concealers (predictable, I know!).Let me tell ya, MUFE does not disappoint at all. The Full Cover Concealer won’t budge once it sets and it sets pretty quickly too. It’s creamy, emollient, super pigmented and it’s very light on the skin. It’s L-O-V-E! But I shall be reserving that review later on cuz I also got me the aqua brow and it’s fabulous!

The Aqua Brow is around Php1,300 and it’s a fantastic product. I used to just line my brows using my old Smashbox eyeshadows and for a while, I was happy with that. The thing works well but after two hours or less, the top of my brows would fade and I always need to retouch. So I was looking for a product that wears like iron yet looks totally natural. I could’ve gone to Benefit at Rustan’s since they are the self-proclaimed “Brow Expert” but I swore I’d never come back after that one advice. I’m weird like that. Plus, I’m not all that impressed with their brow pencil anyway.

For reference, I am NC35 on MAC, black haired with brown natural highlights. I asked for the color that’s one shade lighter than my hair and I got matched to number 15. From the tube, the thing looks a little light and I was kinda nervous about that so I told the girl of my concerns and she assured me that it’s the right color for me. I swatched the thing and it really does not budge unless you rub it really really really hard. Super impressed, from the looks of it, my days of retouching my brows in midday is ovah!

As usual, I tested it out as soon as I got home and lawrd, the color was juuust right. It made my brow look full and natural without making it seem too obvious that I’ve used something, if that makes sense. Be warned though, this thing will set quickly. As in, so quick, you will need to work per section of each brow. Just a tiny dot will do and add more as you go along. Avoid squeezing more than a tiny dot because I assure you, it will set on your hand faster than you can saw, holy brows!

Reshaped my brows here, BTW

It’s budge-proof when I swatched it but on my brows, there’s noticeable fading at the upper part of my brows after three to four hours which is fine because I seem to develop the habit of unconsciously touching my brows. Overall, I like this product though it clearly didn’t provide the kind of wear I expected.

Investing on Skin Care

January 13, 2014 by Tina Lee Leave a Comment

I’ve been away from the city for over a month I think, and I’m back! The first thing I did was to go to Rustan’s to finally get full sizes each of their 3-Step Skin care system. The entire set cost me quite a pretty penny but after investing on the Clarisonic, I am committed on taking more care of my skin. I love shopping at Rustan’s because they not only offer great insights on each brand, they are also quite generous when it comes to giving freebies, check out the swag:

Gurl, I got like, millions of samples, a free bag PLUS won a deluxe sample package from Clinique’s “Pick a Prize” Chinese New Year promo. I was beside myself with excitement, I love free shit!

And the spending didn’t stop there. I also picked up a BB cream from Missha, a Korean skincare and cosmetics brand, because after my skin has improved greatly after a week’s use of the Clarisonic. I feel that a full coverage foundation is no longer needed and I can switch back to using BB creams (before the summer season rolls in, that is).

As much as I wanted to go for the Laura Mercier tinted foundation (the black one, which is their bestseller), the coverage might be too sheer for me. Following my sister’s advice to buy BB creams from a Korean cosmetics company rather than a Western one, I went for the Missha Perfect Cover BB cream, which had a pop-up store at Shang’s The Ramp. I think the lady got my skin tone number wrong though. Because she advised me to go for the No. 21 but after I did my research, it turns out the right number for me would’ve been No. 23 (I’m NC30-35).

Deym.

Thank goodness I only got the trial size because I wanted to check how my skin will react and I resisted buying the full size. That would’ve been a very expensive mistake! Wrong color aside, I plan to still test-run the product just to see how my skin will look using a really high end BB Cream. I’m no stranger to BB Cream but I tend to buy the cheap drugstore ones and though they are nice, I wanted to see how the more expensive ones will fare. I only stopped wearing BB Creams after my skin has turned for the worst. And now that I’m back with a much nicer skin, I think I should start learning how adjust my makeup routine to the current state of my skin (used to not do this at all).

So! With all these expensive skin care products will it guarantee gorgeous skin? Not totally sure on that. I’m hoping I get my money’s worth though.

What Came In The Mail: My Clarisonic!

January 9, 2014 by Tina Lee Leave a Comment

Finally, my Clarisonic came in the mail! I’m super excited to test this out except the unit has to be charged for 24 hours before I can use it *le sigh*. Well, nobody’s perfect! To be quite honest, I was getting impatient waiting for this to arrive as it has been delayed for a couple of weeks already. My fault, I ordered the Clarisonics a few days after the holidays and apparently, PH customs can’t keep up with the holiday rush.

Anyhoo, I sorta get the Clarisonic hype. I mean, this thing has 4.2 rating at Makeup Alley and it’s well-reviewed in the blogosphere. But a lot of people are deterred from buying one because it’s hella expensive. And it is! I got mine at PhP7,500 while I got my sister’s at around PhP6,900 at the Sephora VIB sale. So if you’re watching your budget, this might not be for you.

I only got the Clarisonic out of sheer desperation. Granted, my skin has more or less became manageable after I switched to Clinique’s 3-step-system but I wanted something that will really get in there and help fade my ugly pimple marks. So I went ahead and ordered my own Clarisonic and I’m just beside myself with excitement.

Clarisonic Mia 2 comes in awesome colors but I chose the Pacific Sunset because it’s the aggressive kind of pink, which I’m cray cray foooooor. It’s a lovely color!

Right, because I’m a rebel, I used it without waiting for its 24-hour initial charging. First, I used a cotton ball soaked with makeup remover to get rid of the gunk on my face, slathered a generous dollop of Cetaphil and scrubbed away using the Clarisonic. And my skin felt so clean, clean, clean!

I swear, I saw a difference in my skin the first time I used it:

Smoother texture
White bumps on my chin disappeared!
Makeup applied better

The downside is, I am experiencing skin dryness right now especially around the nose area. I think this means either my moisturizer isn’t as hydrating as it should be or I’m over-exfoliating (using the Clarisonic morning and night). Hmmm… I’ll give it a couple more days and if things worsen, I think I should lay easy on brushing my face twice daily. Overall, I’m so happy I finally caved and got me my own Clarisonic and I cannot wait until this thing improves my skin!

2013: The Year in Review

January 1, 2014 by Tina Lee Leave a Comment

* It’s that time of the year when I round up all the wonderful, wonderful events of the year past and cram ‘em into a single post.

It’s hard to write when you’re in a somber mood and unfortunately, that’s my overall feeling as I bid the year good bye. Don’t get me wrong, 2013 has been a spectacular year as far as my personal life is concerned. First, it was the year I created this blog site. I felt the old one didn’t really represent my current state of mind as well as my personality so with those in mind, I decided to make small changes, starting by getting rid of my old blog site. My old blog site reminds me of a dark, crappy time in my life and it’s something that I wanted to rid myself with. A new website and a more positive outlook in life seems like an excellent way to start the year right and boy, when I’m right, I’m right!

Valentines this year was considerably toned down but nevertheless, meaningful. As a unit, the boys and I have gone a long way and despite our differences, he always make sure to lure me into working things out, hahaha! I also celebrated my 30th birthday this year and though the celebration isn’t bongga or anything, it was exactly how I liked it! I celebrated with family, of course 🙂 The boyfriend didn’t really had a definitive celebration as his birthday coincided with his friend’s wedding.

If I am to sum up 2013, this year’s all about reconnecting with old friends, people linked to my formative years as far as my “social life” is concerned. From weddings to binyag, birthday parties to simple get-togethers, 2013 is going down my personal history for being the busiest. Highlights of my trips includes our quickie Laguna soiree, the great Northern getaway and the hotel hopping thing I did with the boyf.

It was also the year the boyf and I celebrated our second anniversary and he took me to Puerto Princessa! It was definitely one of the best trips I had and something I will never forget 🙂

I also attended a shitload of wedding this year but of all the ones I went to, the most memorable has to be the Rhae‘s wedding to his longtime partner, Mike and Benny‘s wedding with his ladylove, Ila. The first I attended a bridal shower was with Rhae and man, I never saw a male stripper before and after that, I do not plan on seeing another male stripper again. The guy basically licked the back of my neck! I know ang arte ko but I was scandalized, hahahahah! Benny’s wedding, on the other hand, was a little toned down but I loved the surprise dance number. It was so unlike Benny but somehow that’s exactly what the guy is all about, he’s definitely full of surprises.

2013 saw my growing obsession with makeup and gadgets. From the skin care to the iPad mini, loads of holiday palettes and scouring the mall for awesome drugstore finds, 2013 is also a very magastos year for me! I suppose last New Year’s resolution went down the drain again.

On the professional side, there were certain highs and lows but overall, I really can’t complain. I’m hoping that 2014 will hold a lot of awesome surprises for me, hahaha! This 2014, I am making big changes starting with my address. It’s been a long time coming but I decided to move back to Tarlac. It’s a big decision considering my boyfriend is from the city and Megamall and Shang will forever hold my heart but I have carefully considered all other options and came to that decision. That being said, I won’t be off the scene for long. I have plans to visit all the time 🙂

Well, I cheered myself up as I look back at the year that was. 2013 was one hell of a year with a surprising twist in the end. Here’s to hoping everyone’s out having a good time with family and friends during the holidays! Cheers you guys!